At the foot of the Torre Latino, in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City, two wide sheet roofs and a water mirror offer refuge from the chaos on Madero Street. But the structures also serve to capture rainwater in the BajoTech2o exhibition, which seeks to reflect on the water problem in the capital.
Although it is the rainy season in Mexico City, in dozens of colonies the liquid does not reach the homes of its inhabitants. The resource is extracted from the overexploited aquifers of the city or has to travel 150 kilometers through the aging Lerma-Cutzamala system.
“We have a solution within reach, much easier, much less expensive, and that is the collection of rainwater,” explains Sofía Arredondo. The designer is part of the MAPA studio, creators of the artistic installation in the Atrium of San Francisco, a cultural space managed by the Historical Center Foundation.
The centerpiece of the work is two large sheet roofs that allow rainwater to be captured. Through channels, the liquid is conducted through a series of filters to two tanks connected to drinking fountains that offer drinking water to the visitors of the exhibition.
“To think that in the center of this great city you can still capture rainwater and consume it changes many paradigms,” says Renata Fenton, co-founder of Isla Urbana. The company, founded almost ten years ago, developed the catchment systems that can be seen in BajoTech2o.
The facility has the potential to capture 17,000 liters of rainwater during the three months it will be open to the public.
