t-H2O: Water-sourcing, resource-efficient sand settlements in the Namib Desert.
Team
Name: Chia Sheng Wei
Nationality: Singaporean
Institution / Company: Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD)
Name: Caleb See De Kai
Nationality: Singaporean
Institution / Company: Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD)
Name: Ryan Teo Jun Yan
Nationality: Singaporean
Institution / Company: Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD)
Name: Loo Jun Wen
Nationality: Singaporean
Institution / Company: Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD), Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
-EDITORIAL PICK of Waterless World Competition
The act of bending down to draw water is intrinsically linked to sources we are familiar with. Rivers, springs, wells. When these visible bodies are no longer viable, we could then look up to draw from above. Fog, Clouds, Humidity. The Namib Desert is an arid site with a lack of visible fresh water. However, life here has adapted, like the Namib Beetle which gathers water from condensation on its wings. t-H2O functions here similarly by harvesting water from these non-conventional tropospheric sources as an exploration of such settlements.
The overall structure is made possible by 3D printing/sintering surrounding sand, aided by drones. This allows for organic forms which promotes water collection via rainfall/condensation. Circulation and functional spaces occupy the outer structure, which shields pockets of inner social spaces that run through the cores. Coupled with active and passive mechanisms such as fog collection, the settlement generates a self-sufficient supply of water.
Living in a waterless world does not mean the impressions of being around water cannot be experienced. Through the playfulness of films of water and puffs of vapour within leisure spaces, these controlled water applications serve as social activators that provides respite from an otherwise dreary future.
#Desert #FogHarvesting #Sintering #Drylands #FreshwaterAvailability
