Water is key to life. Access to safe water should be a basic human right, but to this day poverty and conflicts over control of water resources remain. There is enough fresh water on the planet for all of us, but it is distributed unevenly, and too much of it is wasted, polluted, and unsustainably managed. Alarmingly, every 90 seconds, a child dies from water-related disease.

This year, in Porto, the Ecsite community is invited to invited to get acquainted with a truly innovative sustainable architecture project inspired by nature, which represents an efficient alternative water source for rural populations that face challenges in accessing drinkable water: the Warka Water Tower.

Many plants and animals have developed unique micro- and nano-scale structural features to collect water from the air and survive in hostile environments. By studying the Namib beetle’s shell, lotus flower leaves, spider web threads and the integrated fog collection systems in cactus, a team of designers and architects identified simple materials and coatings that can enhance dew and fog condensation and prompt water flow and storage, and used them to build a passive easy-to-use system to collect water from the atmosphere.

Do not miss out on the chance to listen to Arturo Vittori, the mastermind behind this unique project, talk about the range of impact of this structure, before having the chance to actually see it for yourself during the Farewell Party!