running under the river elbe in hamburg is a beautiful tunnel like no other. this 1/2 kilometre ‘technical marvel’, known as the ‘old river elbe tunnel’, was built in 1911, sits 24 metres below the river and connects central hamburg with the shipyard island of steinwerder. what makes the tunnel unique are the entry points on each side of the river: rather than just driving straight into the tunnel, vehicles enter a freight elevator which slowly descends to the tunnel below, the tunnel then taking traffic to a similar elevator on the opposite side which lifts them back to ground level.

[update] thanks to ‘tobi g’ for sending this elbe tunnel ticket.

the tunnel is still used to a lesser extent today by pedestrians, cyclists and cars but is now considered more a tourist attraction due to it’s quirky nature.

sources: 1, 2

1. vitra fire station, germany

architects: zaha hadid
completed: 1993
current status: inactive

this aesthetically stunning fire station was designed in order to serve the vitra furniture manufacturing complex in weil am rhein due to all surrounding fire stations being out of range. this was rectified years later, disappointingly resulting in the station being used to showcase the company’s chair collection.

photo credit: danrocha

photo credit: nickehret

2. cologne fire brigade hq, germany

architects: bfm architekten
completed: 2005
current status: active

the circular building houses the local fire brigade whilst the other sections of the complex are home to the training and management departments of cologne fire brigade. the whole thing seems to resemble a smaller, redder version of the forthcoming bird’s nest in china.

3. ave fenix fire station, mexico

architects: at 103 architects
completed: 2006
current status: active

the amazing ave fenix fire station in mexico city contains a standard fire station, ‘fire library’, recruitment centre and other private & public spaces. the front end of the building is elevated above the ground whilst the interior is filled with a huge array of intriguing spaces and shapes.

4. hill street fire station, singapore

architects: municipal council of singapore
completed: 1908
current status: active

built in 1908 for s$64′000, this is the oldest existing fire station in singapore and when opened it signalled the end of horse-drawn firecarts. dotted with classical arches and columns, the building has been preserved and recently restored perfectly and is still used today.

photo credit: petrst

photo credit: ozlady

5. berlin fire station, germany

architects: sauerbruch hutton
completed: 2004
current status: active

this building was designed in 2002 by sauerbruch hutton architects and won the riba award in 2004. the station houses police cars, fire engines, control equipment and administrative offices and the red & green slats on the station’s exterior represent the emergency services within the building: green for the police, red for the fire brigade.

photo credit: janorama

photo credit: janorama

6. parque de bombas, puerto rico

architect: maximo meana
completed: 1882
current status: inactive

this beautiful gothic fire station was originally used as an exhibit pavilion for a trade fair in 1882 - soon afterwards the fire brigade moved in and served the town of ponce until 1990. mostly made of wood, the building is now an extremely popular firefighters’ museum. the bottom photo shows the station in the 1950s and looked nearly identical to its modern self.

photo credit: michael dillingham

photo credit: bflaccus

photo credit: lulubrian

7. houten fire station, netherlands

architects: samyn and partners
completed: 2000
current status: active

the implementation of the curved shell roof at the fire station in houten was ‘the result of the search for elegance of form’. the wall at the back of the open half is covered in pictures painted by local children from all 22 of the surrounding schools, a technique used in order to deter the kids from vandalising the station.

note: as always, any photos found on flickr are linked to the relevant user’s page.