Project description by jury

Located in a dry region in southern Iran, Bandar-e Kong receives 130 millimeters rain each year, concentrated over winter into intense rainfall that leads to episodes of severe flooding. This environmental criticality is exacerbated also by the lack of adequate agricultural infrastructure and green spaces in the city that could mitigate urban flood risks. To face these problems, this project suggests the restoration of an indigenous ecological system that would help the city mitigate stormwater runoffs and harvest rainwater for drinking and gardening purposes. 

The sophisticated infrastructure consists of flood paths that allow rainwater to be distributed across the city – a system used until the middle of the last century and abandoned by recent urban practices. Flowing through 35 hectares of date and palm tree gardens, the rainwater channeled by the flood paths reactivates local agriculture and expands urban gardens. Water is also collected in the historic reservoirs of the city or injected into the aquifer for further use during the dry season. The system is able to harvest more than 65,000 m3 of annual rainwater, resulting in considerable financial and energy savings compared to alternative water supply systems such as desalination via reverse osmosis.

Jury appraisal

The proposal is based on a simple but very valid concept that has been the mainstay of stormwater management and irrigation techniques in the region for centuries. The Holcim Awards jury Middle East Africa admired the multilayered narrative of the project which, through a gentle infrastructural operation, is able to provide a number of environmental, economic and social benefits to the city of Bandar-e Kong. Traditional elements, such as flood paths and water reservoirs, are salvaged and restored to adapt to the actual urban fabric thereby making precious pieces of the city’s history visible again to its inhabitants.