D.L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility High Service Pump Station

Site

Located along the Hillsborough River, the City of Tampa's D.L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility is a longstanding piece of the City's public infrastructure, with historic buildings dating to the early 20th century. Situated near the public street and apart from the historic campus core, the new site occupies a prominent location visible to visitors and the surrounding community.

Program Challenge

Design a new high service pump station to replace aging equipment and expand the City's capacity to meet growing demand for potable water. As part of a larger infrastructure improvement program, the building needed to accommodate eight massive pumps, provide for their eventual replacement, and integrate complex operational requirements while respecting the architectural character of the historic facility.

Solution

Working as part of a design-build team with Jacobs, Rowe Architects designed a new High Service Pump Station that balances the demanding technical requirements of municipal water infrastructure with a thoughtful response to its historic surroundings.

The building is organized around eight large pumps, with removable skylights positioned above each unit to facilitate future equipment replacement through the roof. Generous curtainwall openings incorporate metal louvers that provide the substantial airflow required for the building's mechanical operations while establishing a distinctly contemporary architectural expression.

Cement plaster walls, a clay tile roof, and decorative tile detailing draw upon the architectural vocabulary of the facility's historic buildings. These traditional materials are paired with modern glazing and industrial elements, creating a building that complements its context without imitating the past.

Positioned near the public street, the pump station establishes a new architectural presence for the facility, offering visitors and the surrounding community a welcoming first impression of this essential civic infrastructure.

The project also included renovations to adjacent buildings and several smaller support structures, coordinated with extensive underground clearwell improvements. Together, these investments modernize the City's water distribution infrastructure while reinforcing the architectural continuity of a historic municipal campus.