ANDRÉS JAQUE DESIGNS ENORMOUS WATER PURIFIER FOR MOMA PS1

The winner of MoMA PS1's Young Architects Program 2015

Andrés Jacque, who won the Silver Lion for the best research project at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, has won this year’s Young Architects Program of New York’s MoMA PS1 for the COSMO water purification system. The PS1 series, which offers emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design and construct temporary outdoor installations that provide shade, seating, and water, chose the Madrid-born architect’s project because it addresses the increasing global issue of water shortages while generating dialogue and bringing people together. With the United Nations having estimated that two thirds of the global population will live in countries with insufficient water supplies by 2025, there is an increasing need for developments that address these problems head-on.

Installed in the institution’s courtyard, COSMO is a ‘movable artifact’ made from customized irrigation components, engineered to filter and purify 3,000 gallons of water over a four-day cycle by eliminating suspended particles and nitrates, balancing pH and increasing the level of dissolved oxygen. A complex biochemical design allows its plastic mesh structure to stretch and automatically glow once the water has been purified. Though its design represents the more than two billion gallons of water circulating beneath New York City every day, it employs a model that can be readily reproduced around the world, and will remain on display until September 7, 2015.