Counterflow water cooling tower design is where the air flow is directly opposite of the water flow. Air flow first enters an open area beneath the fill media and is then drawn up vertically. The cooling tower water is sprayed through pressurized nozzles and flows downward through the fill, opposite to the direction of the air flow.

Crossflow is a cooling tower system design in which the air flow is directed perpendicular to the water flow. Air flow enters one or more vertical faces of the cooling tower to meet the fill material. Water flows (perpendicular to the air) through the fill by gravity.