Preservation of water and aiming to reduce the carbon footprint around the planet is very much the bang we need to rise to a new future. Nuru Karim and his brilliant team at NUDES have convened a way to celebrate the importance of water in our lives. A rainwater harvesting tower, twisting, spiralling and pinnacling like a falling waterdrop in action. The tower in San Jose, California soars to address the global impact of climate change and proposes to advocate the necessity for water preservation.
Join the “Parametric Design as a Catalyst for Social Innovation” studio workshop by PAACADEMY with Nuru Karim.
NUDES vision of the ‘rainwater catcher’ is a design receptor to ‘catch’ and transport water, along with the tower’s curving form and through its crevasses into a safe, shallow rainwater harvesting pool connected to a central big tank. The shallow collection pond is shielded by the tapered form, which prevents evaporation and reduces incident solar radiation. The tank stores and distributes the water, while engaging and seizing the visitors in awe.
The tower magnifies a ceremonious sensory experience elated by the eye-catching form and amasses every heavenly drop that strikes and slides on it. The tower in its historical context entwines a sacred relationship with the Guadalupe River playing a key role in ensuring to gather the surface runoff water, thus respecting natural water conservation and climate change.
Nuru Karim likes to say that water equals life, and the rainwater catcher aims to celebrate the role and importance of water in our lives. The ‘rainwater catcher’ has an algorithmically derived fluid motion, represented as flowing flutes and geometries weaved by interlaced striations embossing the tower as an extension of the landscape. Every curve about the towering façade is designed as water-trough receptors to catch and transport the water. The cutting-edge digital design and optimization streamline from conceptual diagrams to fully functional reality, with minimized wastage and humbling respect for the environment integrating sustainable options and material configurations.
The design follows the idea of placemaking and stimulates an ‘inside-out’ parameter. Touching an elevation of 200ft (60.96m), the central space within the tower’s ensemble a sizeable informal assembly aimed to host events and foster interactions about water conservation and climate change. The arena is intended to serve as an experiential space for learning, discovery, reflection, and dialogue, through evoking the human senses of touch, sight, sound, and smell.
“This was part of a competition for an iconic tower in San Jose. Considering the proximity to Silicon Valley, we were open to collaborating with Silicon Valley for advancements in technology vis-a-vis water-related issues – creating awareness, remote monitoring, purification etc” said Nuru Karim.
Let it pour!
Project Details:
Project Name: Rain Water Catcher
Architect: Nudes
Design Team: Nuru Karim, Aditya Jain, Ashish Ramesh, Harisankar P
Join the “Parametric Design as a Catalyst for Social Innovation” studio workshop by PAACADEMY with Nuru Karim.
