Archinect - News

Structure that uses sunlight to tackle the world’s clean water crisis unveiled

2021-05-03T12:07:00-04:00

Researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) have unveiled a structure aimed at tackling the global issue of water shortages. The cost-effective technique uses a floating module and highly efficient solar evaporation to extract freshwater from contaminated or sea water, potentially eliminating water shortages for millions of people around the world.

It is estimated that 1.42 billion people around the world are living in areas of high water vulnerability – a figure which is expected to grow in the coming decades due to the pressures of climate change, pollution, and shifting population patterns. In response, researchers at the UniSA’s Future Industries Institute have focused their efforts on a solution for eliminating water stress, with a focus on areas housing vulnerable or disadvantaged communities.

Led by Associate Professor Haolan Xu, the team has unveiled a structure that derives freshwater from seawater, brackish water, or contaminated water, through highly effi...

How NYC's fire hydrants can be redesigned to expand public access to drinking water

2019-01-12T12:26:00-05:00

New Public Hydrant uses design to overcome public misperceptions of the city’s hydrant water. The design prototypes bring attention to possibilities for improvement of overlooked, local water infrastructures on the one hand, while simultaneously engaging what it means to drink locally...How might publics reimagine these small-scale urban elements to serve in day-to-day situations, rather than solely in the case of emergency?

Inspired by the NY Department of Environmental Protection’s Water on the Go initiative, Tei Carpenter and Christopher Woebken created the New Public Hydrant project, which explores how New York City's fire hydrants can be augmented to provide public access to the city's drinking water supply. The project proposes three hydrant design “hacks”: a sprinkler that lets multiple people refresh underneath an adjustable water canopy, a bottle-filling station, and a water fountain that humans and animals can access. Carpenter and Woebken also show how people around the world have already “hacked” the hydrants in their cities to expand public access to drinking water.

Construction begins on Atlanta's largest public park by John Portman & Associates

2018-09-10T15:49:00-04:00

Construction has begun on Atlanta's soon-to-be largest park by John Portman & Associates. The repurposed quarry pit will not only provide an outdoor recreational area but also create 2 billion gallons of emergency drinking water for Atlanta, increasing the city’s emergency water reserves from 3 to 30 days.

The first phase of Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry includes constructing a signature gateway for the park's entrance. Once completed, the new green space will be 100 acres larger than Atlanta’s currently largest park.

Rising sea levels threaten Miami’s existence—from above and below ground

2018-08-29T19:50:00-04:00

From ground level, greater Miami looks like any American megacity—a mostly dry expanse of buildings, roads, and lawns, sprinkled with the occasional canal or ornamental lake. But from above, the proportions of water and land are reversed. [...] Barring a stupendous reversal in greenhouse gas emissions, the rising Atlantic will cover much of Miami by the end of this century. The economic effects will be devastating [...].

Bloomberg reporter Christopher Flavelle takes a deep dive into the vast, intricate, and highly fragile network of natural aquifers and man-made infrastructure that has kept Miami (mostly) dry and equipped with fresh drinking water. But for how much longer?

How one architect is working to fix Mexico City's faulty water supply infrastructure

2016-03-23T18:42:00-04:00

'Mexico City’s water system goes against its own functional essence. The city is dehydrating itself. We’re mixing our water with poisonous waste and then pumping it out through a complex network of pipes. Just like what happens when a human is dehydrated, Mexico City has diarrhea.' — Elias Cattan

"In a mega-metropolis with a deep history of corrupt leaders and state-sanctioned misinformation, [architect Elias Cattan of Taller 13] believes awareness is the first step. That’s why he’s part of a growing movement of environmental scientists, activists, designers and engineers determined to redesign Mexico City’s water supply management while educating its 9 million residents in the process."

More related to public health issues on Archinect:

EPA study finds no evidence that fracking has lead to polluted drinking water

Should the children of Flint be resettled?

Dispatch from Flint: How architects can help, on Archinect Sessions #54

One CEO's plan to supply water to drought-stricken CA cities, and obviously profit from it

Duke researchers design toilet that turns waste into drinking water

2013-07-26T20:20:00-04:00

It works like this: people empty their latrines into a sewage receptacle (currently, latrines are often emptied into rivers), the waste gets funneled through a series of tubes and is pressurized at extreme temperatures, and the byproduct is clean, possibly drinkable water. Deshusses describes the process as “a pressure cooker on steroids.”