This carry-on duffle bag from Delsey Paris differentiates itself thanks to a hard bottom shell made from recycled plastic bottles, multiple interior compartments and pockets (including one RFID pocket) and exterior pockets. It’s an ideal fit for the gym, a weekend getaway or as an airline-compatible carry-on. Flexible straps let you carry it, sling it over your shoulder or wear it as a backpack.
The Spanish pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale spotlights the country’s agro-architectural infrastructure, with imagery by photographer Pedro Pegenaute.
Pegenaute visited over 50 sites across the country to create a photography series that reveals the buildings and landscapes involved in producing everyday food products.
These locations include factory buildings, farms, distribution centres, workshops and a mix of agricultural and natural landscapes.
One project spotlights the infrastructure for fishing and preparing octopus
The photos form part of a research project called Total Recipes, which looks at 10 classic Spanish dishes and reveals the entire infrastructural chain involved in sourcing or producing each ingredient.
The series was commissioned by architects Eduardo Castillo-Vinuesa and Manuel Ocaña, curators of this year’s Spanish pavilion exhibition, Foodscapes.
With the tagline, “By eating, we digest territories”, the exhibition shines a light on Spain’s extensive food production systems and the architecture that facilitates them.
Another recipe explores the global processes involved in producing tinned squid
Each of the Total Recipes was selected and investigated by a different architectural studio, but Pegenaute was tasked with producing photographs for all 10. This involved visiting more than 50 different sites in Spain and beyond.
Among them were a sweet-flavouring laboratory in Barcelona, a shipyard in Viga, a pig farm in Salamanca and a cork production facility in Portugal.
In a Dezeen exclusive, Pegenaute has selected a favourite shot for each recipe. Read on to see all 10:
Recipe: Drinking Forests: a Metabolic Recipe of Wine Project author: Urbanitree (Daniel Ibañez, Vicente Guallart) and Manuel Bouzas Location: Finsa, Santiago de Compostela
For a recipe highlighting the role of forests in the production of wine, Pegenaute visited manufacturers of timber and cork products.
“This photo captures the pine log collection area at the Finsa factory and the start of the production line for the wooden crates used for wine bottles,” said Pegenaute.
“The tongs of a lorry lift these like chopsticks and deposit them on a conveyor belt of another machine that skins them until they are bare. From there, they will go through different processes until, in this case, they are turned into wooden wine crates.”
Recipe: Traces of Almojábanas Project author: Lucía Jalón Oyarzun Location: Lucta, Barcelona
This project saw Pegenaute explore the factories involved in the production of Almojábanas, a type of fritter made from flour and cheese, coated with cinnamon and honey.
“This image is of shelves in a Lucta sweet-flavouring laboratory,” said Pegenaute.
“This is where the raw materials used as ingredients for the production of liquid flavourings for human consumption are stored and sorted. For several days after my visit, every time I opened the camera bag, the aroma that was trapped in it that day came out again.”
Recipe: Refried Potato Wafers with Leftover Sardine, Pagpag-Style Salad Residue and Pickled Aubergines in Garum Marinade Project author: S&AA (Federico Soriano, Dolores Palacios) Location: Planta Biometanización, Pinto
This recipe explores the practices of reusing leftover food, and of producing fermented or autolysed food. Ingredients are macerated using Garum sauce, a strong-flavoured condiment.
The project took Pegenaute to a biomethanation and composting plant on the outskirts of Madrid.
Recipe: Sea and Mountain Paella for Two Families and Friends Project author: Aldayjover (Iñaki Alday, Margarita Jover, Jesús Arcos, Francisco Mesonero) Location: Presa de Susqueda, Girona
A project tracing the impact of paella led to a river delta in Girona and the architecture involved in managing it.
“This is the interior of the Susqueda Dam, built on the Ter River by the engineer and architect, Arturo Rebollo in 1968,” said Pegenaute.
“The interior of this signature dam has the capacity to touch your emotions. Its silence is deafening; only the dripping of the rain filtering in from a corner could be heard.”
Recipe: Protein Clickbait for the 14 Percent Project author: Common Accounts (Igor Bragado + Miles Gertler) Location: Granja Valle de Odieta, Caparroso, Navarre
An exploration of the whey protein powder used to make protein shakes took Pegenaute to dairy industry structures used to grow herd feed, raise cows and extract milk.
“This is the interior of the largest rotary milking parlour in Spain, which belongs to the Valle de Odieta farm in Caparroso,” said the photographer.
Recipe: Polbo á Granxa (Galician-Style Octopus) Project author: Institute for Postnatural Studies (Gabriel Alonso, Pablo Ferreira Navone, Yuri Tuma, Matteo Guarnaccia, Karol Poliwka, Clara Benito) Location: Puerto de Corme, A Coruña
This project looks at the Galician gastronomic culture of fishing and cooking octopus, and how it has led to construction of the world’s first octopus farm in Spain.
Pegenaute visited the region to explore both the traditional and modern infrastructures of this practice.
“This is Rosa, who is making an octopus pot in the hangar where the women who form the Asociación de mujeres Tejedoras de Nasas work,” he said.
Recipe: Txipirones en su Tinta (Squid in its Ink) Project author: GFA2 (Guillermo Fernández-Abascal) and Fake Industries (Urtzi Grau) Location: Astillero Freire, Vigo
The global logistics involved in producing tinned squid include fishing in the South Atlantic Blue Hole, freezing in Indonesia and Yemen, packaging in the north of Spain, and shipping around the world.
Pegenaute photographed a shipyard involved in this product journey.
“This is the ship-access scaffolding,” he said. “Without a ship to climb, this ladder will take you wherever your imagination wants to go.”
Recipe: PrEP Bread Project author: Ivan L Munuera, Pablo Saiz del Río and Vivian Rotie Location: Delta del Ter, Basses d’en Coll, Giron
To trace the geographies involved in gluten-free bread, the recommended accompaniment to a type of medical treatment called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Pegenaute visited locations where ingredients are sourced.
“This is a rice paddy flooded by water from the Ter River Delta,” said Pegenaute.
“I am a huge fan of this kind of photograph because of the semi-abstraction. You have to spend time looking at it to see what it shows.”
With “ghost kitchens” tapping into the demand for traditional Spanish dishes on delivery, Pegenaute looked at the infrastructure behind egg production.
“These are hens for egg production at the Legaria Farm in Navarra,” said the photographer.
“In this space, the clucking of the hens in unison is a soft sound with a contained volume, but it is precisely this, in addition to its constancy, that makes it strident.”
Recipe: Total Recipe for (Eating) Croquetas de Jamón (in the Future) Project author: C+ Arquitectas (Nerea Calvillo, María Buey González, Manuel Alba Montes) Location: Finca El Encinar de Montejo, Salamanca
For a project exploring the ingredients of the popular Spanish croquette, Pegenaute visited a breeding facility for the Iberian pigs that supply the pork.
“Some will see a window, and others what it hides behind its dirt,” said the photographer.
The Venice Architecture Biennale takes place from 20 May to 26 November 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for information about the event, plus a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Interiors studio Fettle drew on the neo-baroque architecture of this Edwardian building in London‘s Soho when converting it into a members’ club, as well as nodding to the area’s colourful history of the 1950s and 60s.
Owned by Maslow’s, the group behind Fitzrovia club Mortimer House, 1 Warwick features mid-century furniture and lighting along with bespoke designs that reimagine the furniture of the period.
Fettle has designed the 1 Warwick members’ club in London
The mix includes jaunty elements such as splayed-leg easy chairs and scallop-edged rattan lighting.
“During this period of history, Soho was much grittier than we find it today, so we wanted to underplay the more elevated finishes that you would typically find in a members’ club,” Fettle‘s director Andy Goodwin told Dezeen.
“We have referenced the less polished nature of Soho in this period with raw plaster wall finishes and exposed brick.”
The club has a rooftop restaurant called Yasmin
Fettle juxtaposes these references with some influences from the neo-baroque mansion itself, reworking its sense of assured comfort in a contemporary way with richly toned wood panelling and elaborate chandeliers.
“We wanted to ensure that we referenced this period within the final design,” Goodwin said. “We simplified a traditional Edwardian baroque skirting and architrave style within the bespoke joinery that was designed for the ground and first floors.”
“Typically, buildings of a similar age had common features, including bold geometric floor patterns within the entrances. And as such we reimagined a pattern from the period in the lobby of 1 Warwick.”
Its wraparound roof terrace offers views across Soho
While drawing on the history of the building and the area, Fettle worked hard to ensure that the club feels fresh, welcoming and contemporary.
“We have mixed furniture, lighting and accessories from a variety of different eras and curated a space that feels relaxed and residential in its aesthetic,” he continued.
“When designing furniture specifically for the project, we referenced more traditional designs, however. We looked at the details through a modern lens to make the space feel familiar yet contemporary.”
Set over six floors, the crowning glory of 1 Warwick is the rooftop bar and restaurant Yasmin with its wraparound roof terrace and views across Soho.
Here, pink mohair-upholstered bar stools nestle against a wood-clad marble-topped bar while the menu is Middle Eastern, inspired by executive chef Tom Cenci’s time in Istanbul.
Two lounge spaces – the Living Room and adjoining Den – are at the heart of the club, where Fettle used an earthy-toned palette, along with exposed brick walls and geometric patterned rugs to bring a sense of warmth to the interior.
The club has several co-working areas
“We wanted to let the existing architectural features be visible within the final design to create a more neutral backdrop, onto which we layered playful choices across the furniture and fittings,” said Goodwin.
“We used deep, saturated, colourful fabrics for the upholstered pieces and we have looked to mix mohairs and velvets with more vibrant leathers and patterned fabrics to give an eclectic feel to the space,” said Goodwin.
In the daytime, 1 Warwick offers spaces to suit different kinds of working styles, from private studies and rentable desks to the Pied-à-Terre – an open-plan workspace featuring long, library-style tables and comfortable lounge seating.
Members can also work in private meeting rooms
At ground level, there’s the neighbourhood bistro and bar Nessa, open to all and offering a playful take on British classics while the more intimate, horseshoe-shaped bar serves up its own menu of small plates.
With a colour palette of warm, autumnal tones and a material mix of exposed brick, wood panelling and marble-topped tables, the atmosphere here is welcoming and down-to-earth.
The Nessa restaurant is set on the ground floor and open to the public
Founded in 2013, Fettle has a long history in hospitality design with previous projects including the Schwan Locke Hotel in Munich, which was conceived as an homage to early German modernism.
Created in memory of the country’s former prime minister, the buildings in the 65-hectare park, located directly to the north of the city, were developed over a decade by Studio Other Spaces.
Studio Other Spaces designed five buildings in the park
Described by the studio as an “anti-monument” they were built for the Meles Zenawi Foundation to commemorate the life of Meles Zenawi, who was the president of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and then prime minister until his death in 2012.
“Meles Zenawi Memorial Park is not a singular form to be passively observed by onlookers, but rather an expansive, multifaceted landscape where visitors are invited to actively co-produce its purpose and meaning,” explained the studio.
An external walkway wraps around the office building
Within the park, which was designed in collaboration with landscape architecture studio Vogt, Studio Other Spaces created a series of round structures that contain an events space, guesthouse, office, research centre and library.
Alongside these buildings, seven round pavilions connected by a path that runs through the landscape were erected as spaces to explore and reflect.
The guesthouse building has colourful freestanding walls
“By designing a socially horizontal space, we have expanded the meaning of the word ‘memorial’ beyond the memory of a single leader to include the many memories of the countless people, whether from the cities or countryside, whether old or young, rich or poor, who make up the country of Ethiopia and who themselves have lived its history,” said the studio.
“The hope is that the memorial park can accommodate the many, often complex feelings and reflections around Meles Zenawi’s legacy, from celebration and optimism to grief and reckoning.”
A spiral staircase in the office building leads to glazed workspaces
While sharing the same basic rounded form, each of the buildings has a different plan and utilises direct materials to create a varied visual appearance with the guesthouse, library and office set alongside each other.
The single-storey guesthouse has a central circular courtyard and is surrounded by colourful freestanding walls positioned in concentric rings.
Traditional plastering techniques adopted from the old city of Harar were used on the walls, which involved plastering many layers on top of each other to create a rough texture.
Near it, Studio Other Spaces designed the office building as a spiral, with a core spiral walkway and external walkway wrapping glazed workspaces and meeting rooms.
“The building’s transparency and flowing sequence of spaces express the openness, introspection, and cooperation that drive the foundation’s work,” said the studio.
The library has a spiral form similar to the office building
Completing the trio, the library building has a spiral form that expands towards the top, intended as a “gesture to the library’s possible expansion and the constant growth potential of knowledge”.
A spiral staircase with deep steps at the centre of the building provides a social space to sit and read, lit from above by an opening in the roof terrace.
“While the closed, solid exterior suggests the introverted nature of the building’s use for reading and study, a patio at the upper end of the spiral provides an expansive panorama and space for outdoor recreation,” explained Studio Other Spaces.
The research centre has a sculptural shape
Set slightly below the guesthouse, library and office, the research centre contains five circular ground floor spaces, which contain four workspaces and a spiral staircase, that conjoin at first floor level to form the main research space.
It has a sculptural form decorated with stone-clad walls, which follow a gradient pattern of grey stones at the bottom of the walls changing to ochre-coloured stone at the top.
“The building’s unorthodox design creates a striking presence within the landscape and, in a way comparable to how sculpture defines space, frames the public terraces cascading out from beneath it,” said Studio Other Spaces.
Curved orange concrete walls characterise the outlook building
Separate from the other buildings, the events space was created to host conferences and exhibitions.
Its curved concrete walls have a ribbed texture created by using bamboo formwork and it was topped with a rooftop terrace that has views across the city.
A memorial trail connects seven pavilions
Connected by a trail, the seven pavilions were designed to represent stages of Meles Zenawi’s personal and political life, based on the themes of education, debate, struggle, transition and constitution.
“Stretching along seven commemorative stations on the western side of the park, a memorial trail traces the childhood, education, and services of Meles Zenawi, aimed at representing the upbringing and political circumstances of his generation and what it could have meant to grow up in Ethiopia during this period,” said Studio Other Spaces.
It commemorates the life of Ethiopia’s late prime minister Meles Zenawi. Image by Brook Teklahaimanot
Now the Meles Zenawi Memorial Park is complete Studio Other Spaces are concerned that the landscape will not continue to be used as a community space as it was intended.
“The ongoing political upheaval in Ethiopia means there is no way to be sure if the park will fulfil its original vision as a cultural institution and peace project,” said the studio.
“After a decade of collaboration and creation, it is possible that the project will fall into disuse, or will be repurposed altogether to serve other, less civic-minded interests,” it continued.
“The hardware is all there, but what remains to be deployed is the software needed to activate the park – the community, minds, and scholarship that the project is intended for.”
Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors, is open for entries. There are just two days left to submit your project before the entry deadline this Thursday 1 June at midnight London time!
Now in its sixth year, the programme has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers everywhere, with winners selected by a prestigious panel of international judges.
Read on to learn more about the five new names that have joined this year’s judging panel:
Christian Tubito is the director of Kering Material Innovation Lab
Tubito is the director of French luxury group Kering‘s Material Innovation Lab (MIL). MIL supports the integration and implementation of sustainable and innovative solutions into collections and supply chains for brands like Balenciaga, Gucci and Bottega Veneta.
He has over fifteen years of experience in the field of material innovation managing consultancy addressed to companies, supporting services for public agencies and managing several international research and innovation textile projects funded by the European Union.
Diana Radomysler is an architectural designer
Radomysler coordinates the interior design projects at São Paulo-based architecture practice Studio MK27.
Neil Pinder has taught in several inner-city schools for over 25 years
Pinder is the head of architecture at Graveney School in South London, where he introduced architecture to the curriculum, and an honorary professor at institutions including the Bartlett School of Architecture.
Pinder has received numerous awards including Open House Teacher of the Year from charity London Open House and a recent Lifetime Award by Sound Advice. He was a guest speaker at the first Dezeen Day in 2019 and has been a guest speaker at numerous RIBA events.
Loata Ho is an architectural designer for underrepresented communities
Ho is a feminist researcher and the founder of architecture studio WomenBuild. Of mixed iTaukei and Chinese heritage, Ho is also Fiji’s only architecturally trained indigenous woman.
WomenBuild is a research-led architectural practice that seeks to empower women in the Asia Pacific to shape their own environments. The A I Tatadra project for the women of Cakaudrove province won an International Good Design Award and has represented the Pacific region at the Venice Biennale.
Ho has also worked as an in-country coordinator for Australia’s non-profit Architects Without Frontiers and for award-winning commercial practices in Brisbane and Sydney.
Daniel Gava is a trustee, host, speaker, mentor and content creator
London-based Gava works as an independent advisor, helping companies to maintain their brand’s relevance in the design industry. He has held roles in the marketing, public relations, sales and board of directors of international high-end furniture manufacturers in Europe and the United States.
Gava is a Design Patron of the Design Museum in London, an ambassador of the London School of Architecture and has been nominated as Testimonial for the International Italian Design Day 2022 by the Italian Consulate in Manchester.
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.
Dezeen Showroom: British furniture maker Ercol‘s sister brand L.Ercolani is launching an updated version of Norm Architects‘ Reprise chair, which features the brand’s signature steam-bent timber combined with soft upholstery.
The Upholstered Reprise chair is an update on Norm Architects’ 2020 design, which L.Ercolani describes as “an effortlessly graceful seating solution with a refined, subtle presence”.
The Upholstered Reprise chair adds additional cushioning to a 2020 design
In the revised version, set to launch in September, there is an altered seat and additional back cushion that the UK brand says will bring further comfort and support.
The wide, embracing armchair features the traditional woodturning and steam-bending techniques developed by the brand’s Italian founder Lucian Ercolani, who began working with these approaches in 1944.
The chair is made using wood-turning and steam-bending techniques
In the case of the Upholstered Reprise Chair, a single piece of timber is steam bent to create the sinuous, enveloping line of the backrest.
The chair is available in a choice of two woods — solid ash or walnut — and eight finishes. It can be upholstered in a wide variety of fabrics and leathers by the likes of Kvadrat, Sahco, Sørensen and Camira.
Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.
Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.
The Girona Street apartment is set within a 19th-century building in Barcelona’s affluent Dreta de l’Eixample neighbourhood and belongs to a design-savvy couple with two young children.
A 21-metre-long walnut-panelled wall runs the length of the Girona Street apartment
Prior to the renovation, the apartment contained a warren of small, dark living spaces bookended by an indoor patio and a sitting room that overlooks the street.
Raúl Sanchez Architects connected these two rooms with a 21-metre-long wall that stretches from one end of the floor plan to the other. While the majority of surfaces in the apartment were rendered in white micro-cement, the wall is crafted from walnut wood.
Spaces throughout are rendered in white micro-cement
“I thought of a material, which could contrast the whiteness with elegance and warmth while also adding texture and ruggedness,” founder Raúl Sanchez told Dezeen.
“We made several samples and trials until we got the right wood and the right porosity of walnut.”
A blue-painted dining room lies next to the lounge
A series of rooms run parallel to the wall, beginning with a dining area.
Here, a section of the rear wall was painted dark blue and fitted with a built-in bench seat, while the floor was inlaid with a square patch of patterned hydraulic tiles.
Further along the hallway, a sitting area was created just in front of a pair of stained glass windows. This is followed by two bedrooms that are partially painted blue to match the dining area.
One of them is fronted by a huge pivoting door that, like the apartment, is split into two sides. One half is clad with stainless steel and the other in brass.
A sea-green kitchen is hidden behind doors in the walnut-wood wall
More rooms lie concealed behind the long walnut wall, each accessed via a discrete flush door. This includes a U-shaped kitchen, which was almost entirely painted a sea-green hue.
There’s also a storage area, the family bathroom and the principal bedroom, where a floor-to-ceiling cream curtain helps conceal en-suite facilities.
Other rooms in the Girona Street apartment are concealed behind flush doors
The apartment’s indoor patio was freshened up, as was the street-facing sitting area. It now features a mint-green sideboard and bookshelf, as well as a decorative wall panel that mimics the brass-and-steel pivot door.
More hydraulic tiles were also incorporated into the floor, this time in mismatch prints.
Hydraulic floor tiles and mint-green furnishings feature in the living room
Raúl Sanchez Architects is behind a number of striking homes in Barcelona, aside from the Girona Street apartment.
An Italian company that makes candied fruit now has a dedicated space for cookery demonstrations, designed by Milan-based architecture office Co.arch Studio.
Cesarin has produced its fruity bakery products at a factory between Verona and Vicenza in Italy for over 100 years.
The plywood structure is installed within one of Cesarin’s factory buildings
Co.arch Studio founders Andrea Pezzoli and Giulia Urciuoli worked with the company to create a pop-up kitchen for hosting live-audience events and filming videos for social media.
Built from plywood, this double-height structure is located on the first floor of one of the company’s existing factory buildings.
It provides space for hosting events and filming cookery videos
It incorporates a demonstration counter area, a kitchen, a meeting room, and storage and toilet facilities.
The design concept developed by Pezzoli and Urciuoli was to create the impression of a singular, solid volume within the room.
“The new volume was designed as a large piece of furniture, inspired by Antonello da Messina’s painting San Girolamo Nello Studio,” explained the duo.
The demonstration counter is designed to move around
The Renaissance artwork they refer to depicts a priest sitting in a study room where architecture and furniture appear as one.
“This painting is known for the impeccable use of perspective, restoring the image of a space that is lived in but at the same time utopian and rigorous,” Pezzoli and Urciuoli said.
Here, a similar effect is created. The structure was designed to look like a box with openings carved out of it, each incorporating a different function.
The demonstration counter sits within a large void at the front, although it is set on castors so it can be moved around.
An arched doorway leads up to the mezzanine level
A rectangular niche in the side wall creates a casual seat, while an arched doorway frames a staircase that leads up to a mezzanine level that functions as the meeting space.
The kitchen and toilet facilities are located within the volume, accessed from either a side door or via the counter area, while a cloakroom slots in underneath the stairs.
The meeting space sits directly beneath the roof trusses
“The wooden volume highlights the height of the ceiling, defining the rhythm of the spaces with plays of solids and voids, and creating unprecedented internal views,” said the architects.
The plywood is made from okumè, a timber with a similar appearance to cherry.
The okumè plywood has a similar appearance to cherry wood
The idea was to reference the fruit that Cesarin is best known for; the land surrounding the factory is famous for its Prunus Avium plantations, which produce a particularly sweet type of cherry.
Behind the plywood panels is a balloon-frame structure, with pillars and beams made from fir wood.
Toilet and storage facilities are located within the wooden volume
The entire construction was prefabricated by a carpentry workshop in South Tyrol, allowing the architects to achieve “a quality that would otherwise be impossible”.
The rest of the space is painted white, allowing the wood to stand out.
Pezzoli and Urciuoli liken the overall effect to that of a theatre. “To emphasise the theatrical aspect of the space, light wavy curtains resembling a curtain were used to darken the numerous windows,” they added.
Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.
Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.
Designed by Robert Hutchison Architecture and Javier Sanchez Arquitectos, the Rain Harvest Home, or Casa Cosecha de Lluvia is nestled in the rural town of Temascaltepec, which lies about 140 kilometers west of Mexico City. The family nature retreat features an extensive system for capturing and reusing rainwater!
Located in the mountains of Mexico, the Rain Harvest Home was designed for the founder of Javier Sanchez Arquitectos and his family, who plan to make this their permanent residence in the near future. It includes the main house, an art studio, and a bathhouse. Bio-agriculture gardens, an orchard, and a network of pathways were the various landscaping elements included in the home. The team said that permaculture principles were used to “establish a holistic, integrated relationship between people and place”. Now what is permaculture? It is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture and permanent culture and is an approach to design and land management that is inspired by natural ecosystems.
All of the structures in the properties were designed to capture and reuse rainwater and ensure that they are mindful of natural resources, especially water. “Here, as in the surrounding region of Central Mexico, water has become an increasingly precious resource as temperatures rise and populations increase,” the team said. “Rain Harvest Home takes a different tack, proposing an integrated approach to designing regeneratively with water,” they continued. It occupies 1200 square feet and can be used all year round. It has a generous amount of covered outdoor space and stunning views of the surrounding landscape on all sides.
The three structures were designed specifically to capture rainwater. Bioswales in the landscape ensure that water is directed to the property above, and below-ground reservoirs have been installed where water is captured and purified. “The on-site water treatment system is completely self-contained and primarily gravity-fed, containing five cisterns that provide potable and treated water,” the team said. “A chemical-free, blackwater treatment system treats all wastewater on-site, returning it to the site’s water cycle as greywater for use in toilets, and to irrigate the on-site orchard,” the team concluded.
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