Mar 28, 2014 6:30 AM

Gallery: A Giant Basket That Uses Condensation to Gather Drinking Water

Photos by Architecture and Vision
01
warka-01
Designer Arturo Vittori believes the solution to the Ethiopian water shortage lies not in high technology, but in sculptures that look like giant-sized objects from the pages of a Pier 1 catalog.
Photos by Architecture and Vision
02
warka-04
His stunning water towers stand nearly 30 feet tall and can collect over 25 gallons of potable water per day by harvesting atmospheric water vapor.

Photos by Architecture and Vision
03
warka-15
Instead of looking to Western technology for a solution, Vittori was inspired by the Warka tree, a giant, gravity-defying domed tree native to Ethiopia that sprouts figs and is used as a community gathering space.
Photos by Architecture and Vision
04
warka-11
Each pillar is comprised of two sections; a semi-rigid exoskeleton built by tying stalks of juncus or bamboo together and an internal plastic mesh reminiscent of the bags oranges come in.

Photos by Architecture and Vision
05
warka-12
Photos by Architecture and Vision
06
warka-10
The nylon and polypropylene fibers act as a scaffold for condensation and as the droplets of dew form, they follow the mesh into a basin at the base of the structure.

Photos by Architecture and Vision
07
warka-09
"To make people independent, especially in such a rural context it’s synonymous of a sustainable project and guaranties the longevity," says Vittori.
Photos by Architecture and Vision
08
warka-07
The 88-pound sculpture is 26-feet wide at its broadest, but swoops dramatically to just a few feet across at it's smallest point.

The Audacity Is the Broligarchy Takedown You Were Waiting For

AMC’s new black comedy about a manchild tech titan spinning out of control is a skewering Silicon Valley’s billionaire class deserves.

Miles Klee

A Lot of Shops Won't Fix Electric Bikes. Here's Why

Bike shop mechanics have lost fingers and their shirts while repairing ebikes of dubious origins. Make sure yours is repairable and third-party certified.

Stephanie Pearson

It’s a Tablet! It’s a Laptop! After Testing the Best 2-in-1s, Here’s What I Recommend

Whether you want a detachable tablet or a laptop screen that spins, these 2-in-1 devices manage to balance being both a tablet and a laptop.

Luke Larsen

There’s a Secret Ingredient to Making Luxury Ice at Home

Nice ice is big business, but you can get perfectly clear cubes at home without freezing your assets.

Jeremy White

The Screenmaxxers Who Spend Every Waking Hour on Their Phones

As debates over social media addiction rage, people with extreme screen times tell WIRED they have no plans to cut back.

Miles Klee

Mammotion’s Spino E1 Pool Cleaner Isn’t Bad for the Price—It's Just Not That Good

This compact pool robot keeps its price down, but its performance doesn’t match that of more capable cleaners.

Christopher Null

The Best Coffee Mug Warmers Are Smart. But They Don’t Need an App

The first rule of coffee is that it must stay hot. After weeks or even years of testing, these are the three coffee warmers that will best keep it that way.

Matthew Korfhage