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WarkaWater towers harvest water from air–up to 25 gallons each, daily–and are set to be installed in the Ethiopian desert hills by 2015. The towers, named after the disappearing Ethiopian Warka tree, were designed by Arturo Vittori of Architecture and Vision.

The 30-foot (9 m) tall, 88-pound vase-shaped towers have two main parts. The semi-rigid exoskeleton is a weave of of lightweight juncas or bamboo stalks. The internal plastic mesh, similar to the bags oranges are sold in, hangs inside the tower, collecting condensation on a nylon and polypropylene scaffold.

The towers cost $550 and can be built in a week by a four-person team with local materials. Although designed with parametric computing–the parabolic modelling technique used in WarkaWater design was learned by Vittori while working on aircraft interiors and solar powered cars–Vittori said, “Once locals have the necessary know how, they will be able to teach others villages and communities to build the WarkaWater towers.”

The towers can collect 25 gallons of water daily, and work best in the radically changing temperature fluctuations between the desert’s days and nights.

The familiar water solution of digging wells is not viable in the rocky hills and plateaus of Ethiopia, where deep drilling–as well as the pumps and pump power necessary–is expensive.

Forty billion hours are spent collecting water by sub-Saharan Africans annually, according to UN estimates. This water is not always safe to drink.

Water shortage is a global problem, affecting an estimated 1 billion people in Africa alone. Approximately 3.4 million people die annually from water-related diseases–1,400 children under age five daily.

Vittori hopes to have two WarkaWater towers working in Ethiopia–where only 21 percent of the population has access to proper sanitation–by 2015. Vittoli hopes the time freed up that would have been used for collecting water will liberate Ethiopians from the cycle of dependence and poverty. It is proposed that WarkaWater towers could provide hydration for the 1 billion people who do not have access to safe drinking water. Vittori is seeking funding to mass-produce and distribute the towers. Increased production would also bring down the $550 dollar price tag.

Architecture and Vision

 

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