Let’s build rainwater container for public entertainment!
In 2007, MIT Sensible City Lab designed large water recycle facility as a water pavilion of Zaragoza Expo
In public projects of stormwater management, it’s hard to increase citizen’s awareness and interest. That’s because citizens rarely feel the needs of green (or grey) infrastructure in daily life. Although many governments are working pilot projects for public schools and facilities, it is hard to attract attention with simple water recycling because the price of water is already affordable. For this reason, I want to introduce ‘Water Pavilion’ designed by MIT Sensible city Lab in Zaragoza.
This pavilion generates interactive water façade with recycled rainwater. With sensors and system based on open-source software, computer-controlled valves and pumps produce programmed patterns, images, text, and responses from inputs. Used water in the pavilion completely recycled and supplemented by rainwater [1].
This large-scale pavilion can only fit into tourist attractions. Regarding the local community, based on the pavilion case, we can plan for small-scale facilities at the community spaces like a park. For example, an interactive fountain or water-screen theater can add dynamic in public spaces. These approaches are not only for installing infrastructures but also act as public campaigns in citizen’s daily life. Especially, in terms of increasing public activities, it can produce social benefits from water infrastructure.
Reference
[1] Richards, P. (2008, June 11) ‘MIT Digital Water Pavilion makes a splash in Spain’, MIT News, Retrieved on September 30, 2019, from http://news.mit.edu/2008/zaragoza-tt0611
