This hive-like bamboo structure can turn fog into drinking water. Designed by Italian architect Arturo Vittori and his firm Architecture and Vision, the 12m-tall WarkaWater2 is lined with a porous textile that can collect water in a variety of climates. The firm has built and tested ten full-scale prototypes, and this month it will launch a pilot project in small Ethiopian towns, such as Tulu Bolo, to install the structures in local communities.
Vittori had the idea while exploring the Ethiopian highlands. "When you travel round these remote regions you see it with your own eyes," he says. "Women and children walking for miles through deserted landscapes with giant water tanks."
The WarkaWater2 is inspired by nature: Vittori and his team studied the water-collecting properties of the Namib beetle's shell, lotus flower leaves and various cacti. They used a composite material of reeds and nylon to enhance their containers' condensation and water flow properties.
The field test -- which will be supported by a Kickstarter campaign -- is part of an ongoing effort to interact with local people to test what designs best suit their needs. "Will they like it? Will they use it?" asks Vittori. "These are important questions. Otherwise it wouldn't work or be sustainable."
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