Shivam Takulia and Anya Ghosh's proposal to create "water-positive" buildings that harvest water from the air is the next finalist project in Dezeen's Redesign the World competition powered by Twinmotion.

Called Aquatech, Takulia and Ghosh's project imagines a future where there is an acute water shortage in many parts of the world.

Their proposed solution is to build cities of fog-harvesting buildings to produce water from the air, which would be interlinked by a network of waterways.

These waterways would be surrounded by wetlands and marshlands to enhance the health of the surrounding ecology.

The buildings would be designed "inside-out", with services that are usually concealed pushed to the exterior of the buildings in order to maximise internal space.

The buildings would be clad in pipes to disseminate water over the facade of each building, which would assist in controlling the building's temperature and offer optimal thermal comfort for the inhabitants.

Read more about the proposal below.

Aquatech
Shivam Takulia and Anya Ghosh
New Delhi, India
Finalists

"As it exists today, most parts of the world face a severe water shortage. One of the most integral resources to sustain life on earth, a water shortage threatens not only plant and animal life but the very existence of human life.

"Aquatech uses generative design as a means to create plug-in typologies of buildings that are 'water-positive', which generate water from air via the process of fog harvesting.

"The vertical resolution of this project references the communities growing need for housing and public spaces in an age where there is also a severe shortage of land.

"The design process involved is predominantly generative in that it is an aggregation of discrete parts that are distinctly performative. The basic aggregation logic is to optimise the use of fog capture via a prototype – thus maximisation of the surface area is essential across the facade of each building.

"The aggregation is further spread across the site to ensure further moisture capture. Pipes that circulate the captured fog across the building run across the site as well."

"The overarching theme of our idea is to create prototypical projects that would serve as nodes, acting as pseudo-biomes, preserving ecosystems and would be further connected via landscape linkages across cities.

"The world as we see it in the future is one that has not only been restored to its former glory but one that is flourishing and evolving into a healthier environment.

"As a community, it is our responsibility to not only reverse the damage we have done but to actively leave a positive impact on the planet for future generations. Plug-in typologies of Aquatech aim to achieve a healthier and more nourished world for tomorrow."

Redesign the World

Redesign the World is the ultimate design competition, which called for new ideas to rethink planet Earth to ensure that it remains habitable long into the future.

Launched in partnership with Epic Games, the contest asked entrants to visualise their concepts using architectural visualisation software Twinmotion.

The contest received over 100 entries from more than 30 different countries around the world.

These were assessed by a judging panel comprising White Arkitekter CEO Alexandra Hagen, structural engineer Hanif Kara, speculative architect Liam Young, Twinmotion product marketing manager Belinda Ercan and Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, which selected 15 proposals as finalists to be published on Dezeen.

We are unveiling one finalist a day throughout our Dezeen 15 festival, culminating in the winner being announced on 19 November.

The winner will receive the top prize of £5,000. There are also prizes of £2,500 for second place, £1,000 for third place and £500 each for the remaining finalists.

Find out more about Redesign the World ›
See all the finalists revealed so far ›