Poreform

Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin

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    Global finalist entry 2015 - Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin

    Poreform's concrete surface is highly absorptive. The surface is part public realm and thus belongs to everyone.

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    Global Awards 2015 finalist certificate handover in New York City USA – Poreform: Water …

    Global Awards 2015 finalist certificate handover in New York City USA – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, USA

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    Global finalist entry 2015 - Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin

    Below the surface, a 3.6 million cubic feet tank captures surface runoff water. As the tank awaits another rain, it hosts temporary exhibits and performance events.

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    Global finalist entry 2015 - Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin

    The Poreform surface can be used in a variety of sites and a varying scales. As it is cast-in-place and made from fabric formwork, it can fit within existing urban conditions and tap into existing infrastructure.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Poreform is a concrete surface capable of rapid water absorption to prevent urban flooding. The surface feeds water to subterranean basins, like the Downtown Tank shown here. The surface is located within the public realm and claims a stake as civic infrastructure that is as important as its nearby sister, the Hoover Dam.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean …

    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Las Vegas undervalues its water and is facing a detrimental shortage in the near future.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Flood control basins located downtown will feed a primary basin, the Downtown Tank.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    The proposed network of flood control infrastructure is finely calibrated to absorb specific volumes.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Poreform functions as a surface, curb drain, foundation, small basin and collection tank.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    The Downtown Tank generates hydroelectric power to offset urban growth.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    The surface of Poreform is influenced by the Thorny Devil Lizard and erosion control construction.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    The Downtown Tank is a place of public awareness and education.

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    The Downtown Tank is a place of cultural versatility and a community partner.

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    Holcim Awards North America ceremony, Toronto, Canada

    Presentation of the Holcim Awards Gold 2014 for North America (l-r): Alain Bourguignon, Holcim Area Manager for North America and the United Kingdom; prize winners Caitlin Taylor and Amy Mielke, Water Pore Partnership, New York for “Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin”; Bernard Fontana, CEO Holcim Ltd; and jury member Mark Jarzombek, Associate Dean, School of Architecture & Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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    Holcim Awards North America ceremony, Toronto, Canada

    Winners of the Holcim Awards (l-r): David Benjamin, The Living, New York – winner of Holcim Awards Bronze for “Hy-Fi: Zero carbon emissions compostable structure”; Caitlin Taylor and Amy Mielke, Water Pore Partnership, New York – winners of Holcim Awards Gold for “Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin”; and Kai-Uwe Bergmann – BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, New York and Matthijs Bouw - One Architecture, Amsterdam – members of the consortium winning Holcim Awards Silver for “Rebuild by Design: Urban flood protection infrastructure”.

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    “Sustainability? Repositioning the value of water” – Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor

    Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor from the Water Pore Partnership reframes water as a valuable resource rather than a liability. “Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, USA” won the Holcim Awards Gold for offering a welcome answer to the general problem of water scarcity.

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    Holcim Awards North America media briefing, Toronto, Canada

    “A system which can take up large amounts of water in a short time is highly relevant for all dense urban areas.” – Holcim Awards Gold 2014 for North America winners (l-r) Caitlin Taylor and Amy Mielke, Water Pore Partnership, New York for “Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas”.

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    Feature interview – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Feature interview – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

  • Awards Gold 2014–2015 North America

This design proposal repositions water infrastructure as a civic project. Facing a significant shortage of water in an arid region, local drainage systems are incapable of collecting the water that floods the Las Vegas valley when it rains. Giant underground tanks with a capacity of 75,000 megaliters that can be used as event locations during dry periods swallow the rainwater. They are covered with a porous concrete surface designed for optimal water collection.

By Amy Mielke, Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor - Water Pore Partnership, New York, NY, USA and

Ideas: Ecosystem Restoration, Urban Requalification

This design proposal repositions water infrastructure as a civic project. Facing a significant shortage of water in an arid region, local drainage systems are incapable of collecting the water that floods the Las Vegas valley when it rains.

Giant underground tanks with a capacity of 75,000 megaliters that can be used as event locations during dry periods swallow the rainwater. They are covered with a porous concrete surface designed for optimal water collection.

Poreform

Project authors

Project updates

February 20, 2017 | Project update | Las Vegas, USA

Amy Mielke and Caitlin Taylor address the global challenge of water scarcity

L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui (‘A’A’) interviewed American designers Amy Mielke and Caitlin Taylor of Water Pore Partnership who won the LafargeHolcim Awards Gold 2014 for their Poreform project. Their approach repositions water infrastructure as a civic project: using a water absorptive surface and subterranean basin to capture rain runoff that adds over 75,000 megaliters to the water supply capacity of Las Vegas, USA. Capable of rapid saturation and slow release, the flood-control pores of this “urban skin” are inlets to a new infrastructure that reframes water as a valuable resource rather than a liability.

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September 24, 2015 | Global Finalist Certificate Handover | New York, NY, USA

A beautiful proposition for the global challenge of water scarcity

Global Awards 2015 finalist certificate handover in New York City USA – Poreform: Water …

Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor of Water Pore Partnership, New York was presented with a Global Finalist 2015 certificate for her “Poreform” project to create water absorptive surface and subterranean basin in Las Vegas. As part of the celebration of the Global Awards Bronze prize in New York City, the certificate was handed over by Marc Angélil, member of the Global Awards jury 2015 and member of the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation.

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June 29, 2015 | Feature Interview | Las Vegas, NV, USA

“Mostly not enough water – but dramatic floods”

Feature interview – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Water presents complex problems to the gambling and entertainment city of Las Vegas. Two young architects from the East Coast are tackling the challenge with a concept that’s as ingenious as it is simple.

Water presents another type of challenge to Las Vegas, one that would probably surprise most outsiders: The city is regularly inundated by floods. When it rains here, the showers are often so strong that the ground surface, predominantly paved or else bone dry earth, cannot absorb the water fast enough. The water then flows through the streets; the world-famous Strip rapidly turns into a rushing river. Rain showers can lead to disaster in Las Vegas.

Project co-author Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor commented: “So it was quickly clear to us: We need detention basins in the downtown area that can rapidly absorb very large volumes of water.”

Read feature interview in 4th Holcim Awards 2014/2015 (flip-book)

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March 23, 2015 | Global finalist entry | Las Vegas, NV, USA

Global finalist entry - Poreform

Global finalist entry 2015 - Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin

As one of the three main Holcim Awards winners for North America in 2014, “Poreform” automatically qualified as a finalist in the Global Holcim Awards 2015. All 15 finalist project teams were asked to submit an updated and more comprehensive entry that was evaluated by a global jury in March 2015.

View project entry posters - Global Holcim Awards

The results of the global phase of the 4th Holcim Awards competition were announced on April 20, 2015.

Read full media release - Sustainable design improving communities

 

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January 29, 2015 | 4th Holcim Awards Competition | Zurich, Switzerland

Global Holcim Awards winners announced April 20

Global Gold Awards 2015 prize handover – Articulated Site: Water reservoirs as public park, Medellín, Colombia

The winners of the global phase of the 4th International Holcim Awards competition will be revealed on April 20, 2015. The results will be announced via the Holcim Awards website.

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September 19, 2014 | Video – Project Author | Toronto, ON, Canada

“Sustainability? Repositioning the value of water” – Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor

Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor from the Water Pore Partnership reframes water as a valuable resource rather than a liability. “Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean basin, Las Vegas, USA” won the Holcim Awards Gold for offering a welcome answer to the general problem of water scarcity.

Watch video

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September 18, 2014 | Holcim Foundation Awards | Toronto, Canada

Sustainable construction awards showcase resource efficiency and innovation

Holcim Awards North America ceremony, Toronto, Canada

The winning projects of the Holcim Awards 2014 for North America are at the cutting edge of efficiency and innovation in sustainable construction. The top prize went to a water supply and flood mitigation project in Las Vegas designed by Amy Mielke and Caitlin Taylor. BIG’s urban flood-protection concept for lower Manhattan was conferred the silver Award, and a zero-carbon compostable structure recently on display at MoMA New York designed by David Benjamin received bronze.

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September 18, 2014 | Project Overview Video | Las Vegas, NV, USA

Poreform

Poreform, a water absorptive surface and subterranean basin that captures rain runoff and adds over 75,000 megaliters (20 billion gallons) to the water supply capacity of Las Vegas won the top prize. Designers Amy Mielke and Caitlin Taylor of Water Pore Partnership (USA) reposition water infrastructure as a civic project. Capable of rapid saturation and slow release, the flood-control pores of this “urban skin” are inlets to a new infrastructure that reframes water as a valuable resource rather than a liability.

Watch video

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June 30, 2014 | Regional Jury Report – North America | Cambridge, MA, USA

“Conceiving infrastructure as an architectural undertaking” – Holcim Awards Jury

Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean …

The jury commends the project’s objective to conceive infrastructure as an architectural undertaking. Instead of considering infrastructure as a mere servant to utility, it is reclaimed as a truly public matter of concern and treated as equally social in scope and design – an untapped site for making and altering space. The proposal additionally foregrounds the need to treat water as a common good by proposing a modulated ground surface for water retention to prevent urban flooding. While designed for a specific site, the project offers a welcome answer to the general problem of water scarcity – a straightforward, but nonetheless beautiful proposition for a global challenge.

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March 31, 2014 | Project Entry & Details | Las Vegas, NV, USA

Project Entry 2014 North America - Poreform

Project entry 2014 North America – Poreform: Water absorptive surface and subterranean …

The design proposal for the city of Las Vegas, USA repositions water infrastructure as a civic project. Facing a significant shortage of water in an arid region, local drainage systems are incapable of handling and collecting the water that floods the city which is positioned in a valley when it rains. Poreform, a porous concrete surface poured in place with fabric formwork, manages to absorb water, feeding rain runoffs into subterranean basins with a capacity of over 75,000 megaliters (20 billion gallons). Capable of rapid saturation and slow release, the pores of this “urban skin” are inlets to a new infrastructure that reframes water as a valuable resource rather than a liability.

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Related information

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Location

pin Las Vegas, USA

Las Vegas, USA

Videos

Poreform: Holcim Awards Gold 2014 for North America – Project Overview

Poreform: Holcim Awards Gold 2014 for North America – Project Overview

“Sustainability? Repositioning the value of water” – Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor

“Sustainability? Repositioning the value of water” – Caitlin Gucker-Kanter Taylor