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Latin America Main authors Summary and appraisal of the project by the jury Urban Circulatory System Sanitation system in informal communities, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Image 1: Água Carioca is a low-tech, flexible and adaptable system, improving water quality and reducing water demand locally using 3 elements – rain- water harvesting, septic tanks and constructed wetlands. Treatment of waste water at source reduces the CO 2 impact of open sewage as well as dra- matically improving local conditions. Quick and relatively inexpensive to implement, the system works at multiple scales, from a building to whole neighborhoods and holds the ability to transform an entire city. Image 2: 10–15 houses, each fitted with a rainwater collection and septic tanks, share a communal wetland. The elements are inserted into the existing urban fabric, exploiting under-used space without causing mass disruption. On sloped areas, wetlands can become terraces, alleviating the threat of landslides. Initiated by public funds, the system is implemented and operated collaboratively, bringing together top down strategy with bottom up ac- tion. It deliberately engages hard-to-reach, local stakeholders. Image 3: Four designs, addressing urgent needs, working across multiple scales and diverse urban contexts. Image 7: Following a successful pilot in 2016, the project is now working to deliver a neighborhood project. Image 4: Live classrooms: education and understanding of the water cycle in schools will multiply efforts. Image 8: Eco-technology: constructed wetlands are at the core of the project, ensuring a robust performance. Image 5: A new relationship and shared story around water is created, improving quality of place. Image 9: Água Carioca demonstrates a way of working, to enhance ac- ceptance and agreement among stakeholders. Image 6: As the project scales up, local benefits become paired with city and regional benefits. Image 10: The project builds bridges between actors, capturing value and empowering local communities. Eva Pfannes, and Sylvain Hartenberg, architects, Ooze Architects, Rotterdam, Netherlands Project data Project group: Landscape, urban design, transportation infrastructure and public utilities Client: City Municipality of Rio de Janeiro Project background: Research project Planned start: December 2017 This project localizes water treatment, cleaning waste- water where it is produced. Rainwater harvesting, sep- tic tanks, and wetlands are introduced in informal settle- ments to manage the wastewater now flowing through the neighborhood as open sewage. The improvement in public health also reduces CO 2 output and stabilizes the ground, helping to prevent landslides. Implemen- tation is envisioned as a fractal approach, from the grouping of several residences, to schools, to whole neighborhoods. The jury was impressed with the detailed analysis of water flows as an urban “circulatory system” running through the favela. Taking on the pressing challenge of water sanitation in informal areas in Rio de Janeiro with intelligence and playfulness, the proposal chal- lenges the notion that sewage needs to be hidden away underground and introduces innovation into a stigmatized but crucial part of urban infrastructure. By making water treatment local and visible, the pro- posed scheme creates an active relationship between water management and the community. Resumen y apreciación del proyecto por parte del jurado Sistema sanitario en comunidades informales, Río de Janeiro, Brasil Este proyecto lleva el tratamiento del agua, la depura- ción de aguas residuales al mismo lugar donde éstas surgen. Se introduce la recolección de agua de lluvia, tanques sépticos, y humedales en los asentamientos informales para lograr el tratamiento de las aguas re- siduales que en la actualidad corren por el barrio como alcantarillas a cielo abierto. La mejora en la salud pú- blica también implica una reducción en la emanación de CO2 y la estabilización del suelo, lo que contribuye a prevenir avalanchas de tierra. La implementación ha sido prevista con un enfoque fractal, desde grupos de varias unidades habitacionales, escuelas, y hasta ba- rrios completos. Lo que impresionó al jurado fue el detallado análisis de los flujos de agua como si fuera un “sistema circulato- rio” que recorre la favela. Al abordar el desafío urgente del saneamiento del agua en las áreas informales de Río de Janeiro con inteligencia y gracia, la propuesta cuestiona la noción de que las aguas cloacales deben ser escondidas bajo la tierra e introduce innovación en una parte estigmatizada pero crucial de la infraestruc- tura urbana. El esquema propuesto transforma el tra- tamiento del agua en un proceso local y visible y gene- ra una relación activa entre el manejo del agua y la comunidad. Bronze Award 2017
