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Pump stations disguised as homes: https://www.businessinsider.com/fake-house-pumping-stations-2014-1 https://www.businessinsider.com/fake-house-pumping-station

by js2 5y ago

Pump stations disguised as homes: https://www.businessinsider.com/fake-house-pumping-stations-2014-1 https://www.businessinsider.com/fake-house-pumping-stations-... https://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/pump-station-disguised-as-a-bungalow-will-keep-south-tampa-neighborhood-dry/1271930/ https://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/pump-station-dis... https://triblive.com/local/new-pump-station-in-hampton-strategically-disguised-to-look-like-a-home/ https://triblive.com/local/new-pump-station-in-hampton-strat... Of course, cell towers are often disguised. What other things are hidden in plain sight in urban environments?

jccooper 5y ago
The fake houses used to hide London Underground cuttings are pretty interesting: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7533383/Behind-fa-ade-Londons-fake-houses-Leinster-Gardens-built-1860s.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7533383/Behind-fa-a...
- lelandfe 5y ago
  Similarly, NY’s MTA and their fake brownstone https://untappedcities.com/2013/04/05/fake-brownstone-brooklyn-secret-subway-ventilator/ https://untappedcities.com/2013/04/05/fake-brownstone-brookl...
interestica 5y ago
> What other things are hidden in plain sight in urban environments? The internet. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-see-the-internet-hiding-in-plain-sight-1787633653 https://gizmodo.com/how-to-see-the-internet-hiding-in-plain-... "The book is a delightful guide to the many facets of the internet that are hidden in plain view—from the the small graffiti like utility markings sprayed on to asphalt, to the gigantic “Carrier Hotel” skyscrapers that house telecom switches. Some of the symbols and objects are easier to spot than others, but once you know they’re there, you can’t stop seeing them."
- mhh__ 5y ago
  Trevor Paglen has some interesting work about surveillance and showing the internet as a physical entity rather than some abstract tube full of 1s and 0s that you might see in a newspaper article.
stardenburden 5y ago
Ventilation shafts for the Paris metro https://matadornetwork.com/read/paris-fake-buildings/ https://matadornetwork.com/read/paris-fake-buildings/
jeromegv 5y ago
Electricity substations disguised as houses in Toronto https://99percentinvisible.org/article/neighborhood-transformers-inside-torontos-stealthy-house-shaped-substations/ https://99percentinvisible.org/article/neighborhood-transfor...
taspeotis 5y ago
I don't think it quite counts because they aren't disguised per se, but they are in plane sight: Backyard approaching lighting at Adelaide Airport [1]. https://wongm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adelaide-Approach-Runway-23-airportelectrical.com_.au_.jpg https://wongm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adelaide-Approa... [1] https://wongm.com/2022/04/backyard-approaching-lighting-adelaide-airport/ https://wongm.com/2022/04/backyard-approaching-lighting-adel...
- titzer 5y ago
  > they are in plane sight I see what you did there.
sverhagen 5y ago
Okay, you have residences with water supplied to them, I guess you need pumping stations, you don't like an ugly industrial building, so you make them blend in, got it. Somehow the oil wells seem a lot more nefarious, since they aren't needed to be there, and it's a surprising zoning decision (to me) for them to be there. So, do we all think they're at the same level as the pumping stations? Were they just trying to blend in, but otherwise well-understood to be there? Or were these covert operations? I have so many questions, I guess :-)
- bombcar 5y ago
  Many if not all of the oil wells were there long before the people were - so it's more of a "hide existing infrastructure" than "random oil well out of freaking nowhere" being hidden. As people move in and out of the area that knowledge is lost; so new inhabitants may be surprised to find that they're right next to a rig.
EvanAnderson 5y ago
Old telco central offices were often designed to blend-in, architecturally: http://www.co-buildings.com/oh/513/ http://www.co-buildings.com/oh/513/
stephen_g 5y ago
Very interesting examples - though I’m really not a fan of this kind of practice. Just feels kind of dishonest… Sometimes (such as cell towers poorly disguised as fake trees and the like) I think it can actually look ridiculous and worse than just raw infrastructure! I think it’s possible to put these kind of things in buildings that look good but that don’t “lie” about their purpose… But maybe that’s just me - I know I’m definitely am much more interested in seeing and understanding the infrastructure that makes the world work than the vast majority of people probably are!

by js2 5y ago

jccooper 5y ago

The fake houses used to hide London Underground cuttings are pretty interesting: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7533383/Behind-fa-ade-Londons-fake-houses-Leinster-Gardens-built-1860s.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7533383/Behind-fa-a...

lelandfe 5y ago
Similarly, NY’s MTA and their fake brownstone https://untappedcities.com/2013/04/05/fake-brownstone-brooklyn-secret-subway-ventilator/ https://untappedcities.com/2013/04/05/fake-brownstone-brookl...

interestica 5y ago

> What other things are hidden in plain sight in urban environments? The internet. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-see-the-internet-hiding-in-plain-sight-1787633653 https://gizmodo.com/how-to-see-the-internet-hiding-in-plain-... "The book is a delightful guide to the many facets of the internet that are hidden in plain view—from the the small graffiti like utility markings sprayed on to asphalt, to the gigantic “Carrier Hotel” skyscrapers that house telecom switches. Some of the symbols and objects are easier to spot than others, but once you know they’re there, you can’t stop seeing them."

mhh__ 5y ago
Trevor Paglen has some interesting work about surveillance and showing the internet as a physical entity rather than some abstract tube full of 1s and 0s that you might see in a newspaper article.

stardenburden 5y ago

Ventilation shafts for the Paris metro https://matadornetwork.com/read/paris-fake-buildings/ https://matadornetwork.com/read/paris-fake-buildings/

jeromegv 5y ago

Electricity substations disguised as houses in Toronto https://99percentinvisible.org/article/neighborhood-transformers-inside-torontos-stealthy-house-shaped-substations/ https://99percentinvisible.org/article/neighborhood-transfor...

taspeotis 5y ago

I don't think it quite counts because they aren't disguised per se, but they are in plane sight: Backyard approaching lighting at Adelaide Airport [1]. https://wongm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adelaide-Approach-Runway-23-airportelectrical.com_.au_.jpg https://wongm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adelaide-Approa... [1] https://wongm.com/2022/04/backyard-approaching-lighting-adelaide-airport/ https://wongm.com/2022/04/backyard-approaching-lighting-adel...

titzer 5y ago
> they are in plane sight I see what you did there.

sverhagen 5y ago

Okay, you have residences with water supplied to them, I guess you need pumping stations, you don't like an ugly industrial building, so you make them blend in, got it. Somehow the oil wells seem a lot more nefarious, since they aren't needed to be there, and it's a surprising zoning decision (to me) for them to be there. So, do we all think they're at the same level as the pumping stations? Were they just trying to blend in, but otherwise well-understood to be there? Or were these covert operations? I have so many questions, I guess :-)

bombcar 5y ago
Many if not all of the oil wells were there long before the people were - so it's more of a "hide existing infrastructure" than "random oil well out of freaking nowhere" being hidden. As people move in and out of the area that knowledge is lost; so new inhabitants may be surprised to find that they're right next to a rig.

EvanAnderson 5y ago

Old telco central offices were often designed to blend-in, architecturally: http://www.co-buildings.com/oh/513/ http://www.co-buildings.com/oh/513/

stephen_g 5y ago

Very interesting examples - though I’m really not a fan of this kind of practice. Just feels kind of dishonest… Sometimes (such as cell towers poorly disguised as fake trees and the like) I think it can actually look ridiculous and worse than just raw infrastructure! I think it’s possible to put these kind of things in buildings that look good but that don’t “lie” about their purpose… But maybe that’s just me - I know I’m definitely am much more interested in seeing and understanding the infrastructure that makes the world work than the vast majority of people probably are!