A look inside active and abandoned cooling towers Belgian photographer Reginald Van de Velde has made a project of exploring the inner workings and mechanisms of some of Europe's awe-inspiring, dormant giants: cooling towers.
His images document both active and decommissioned cooling towers, as well as towers slated for demolition.
The interiors of the towers yield astonishing vistas, and as they're abandoned he's able to enter explore them, document and admire them. In his imagery he searches for patterns, a sense of scale, repetition, and disruption, rendering landscapes within the massive structures.
'One thing that fascinates me extremely is the fact that not a single cooling tower is the same,' Van de Velde says. 'Each and every one of them has a unique interior design and build! They all look the same from the exterior, but with each visit to a new cooling tower I’m always surprised by a different interior, time and time again. '
To see more of Reginald’s work, visit his website or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
A look inside active and abandoned cooling towers
Vegetation is slowly taking over the bottom area of this cooling tower slated for demolition, Belgium. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
A look inside active and abandoned cooling towers
Inside the belly of an active cooling tower: billions of water drops fall down while releasing heat to the environment. Belgium. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
A look inside active and abandoned cooling towers
The impressive interior view of a giant cooling tower scheduled for maintenance, France. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
A look inside active and abandoned cooling towers
The spectacular view inside a decommissioned gasometer in Germany, looking upwards. The air vents at the top dome create natural ambient light. Gasometers can reach heights of 150 meters. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
Inside Active and Abandoned Cooling Towers
Unreal scenery resembling the set of a sci-fi movie. This is the view inside a defunct cooling tower in Belgium. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
A look inside active and abandoned cooling towers
Warm moist air rises from a central outlet inside an active cooling tower, Belgium. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
Inside Active and Abandoned Cooling Towers
Snow particles cover the interior mechanism of an abandoned cooling tower in Belgium. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
A look inside active and abandoned cooling towers
Covered in moss and algae, these beams support the inner structure of a defunct cooling tower, UK. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
A look inside active and abandoned cooling towers
A structure that resembles the look and feel of a cooling tower: this is the view inside a gasometer, an industrial recipient used for the storage of natural gas. Belgium. Photo by Reginald Van de Velde
To see more of Reginald’s work, visit his website or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
. dpreview.com2016-11-6 13:00
