Kiara Koval from Indonesia / Bali — “I am a first year architecture student studying at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York. I was born in California but moved to Asia when I was a child. Growing up in Bali, Indonesia, I have a unique take on what I consider to be architecture, and I hope to bring this perspective into my work.”

University: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Professor(s): Ryosuke Imaeda

Instagram Username: @koval.arch

Name of Project: AQF 24

Project Description: Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population experience severe water scarcity during at least one month every year. For this reason, we must strive to educate the population on sustainable resource use. In response, this water extraction facility serves two functions, the provision of clean water, as well as acting as an educational public space. In this concept, the configuration of circuitous forms and permeable thresholds create an open atmosphere with a fluid spatial narrative that encourages movement between spaces. The resultant presence of literal transparency in the piece helps visitors to visualize and appreciate the complex process involved in the extraction of the precious resource. Opening the process to the community will help to create a shared responsibility between both the supplier and the consumer is facing the global challenge of sustainable resource use.

The project also depicts a coherence between site and building. This was done in order to unify the piece and remove boundaries between inside and outside. This water extraction facility acts as a bridge between the public and private, helping the uninformed community to gain insight into previously closed operations. In this sense, there is no edge between interior and exterior. Instead, the political edge in this situation exists only between the underground and the above-ground. There are many industries in the world that stand to benefit from increasing their transparency. Both private and public sector industries and firms should strive to increase the permeability of their edges.