Detroit is home to more than 1,200 urban farms. While food cultivation has become a critical civic and ecological practice across the city, persistent challenges around water management and sustainability remain. Irrigation systems are often economically unviable—connection to the municipal water supply carries prohibitive costs tied to sewage treatment. At the same time, conventional rainwater catchment surfaces, including roofs, pavements, and painted patios, risk contaminating food crops due to the acidity of rainwater and material runoff. In urban contexts, agricultural waste further compounds broader runoff and water-quality issues.
Cloud Tower responds by developing a water catchment and storage prototype that addresses these constraints directly. The project combines a visible, legible system for protecting water quality in Michigan with a lightweight, portable irrigation infrastructure based on expandable membranes. Conceived as both practical device and urban marker, Cloud Tower supports decentralized, resident-managed water stewardship at the scale of the neighborhood.
2016
Detroit, Michigan
Support:
University of Michigan OVPR
Principals:
Anya Sirota, Jean Louis Farges
Design Team:
Jonathan Watkins, Sam Okolita
Awards:
Michigan Design Prize Finalist
Patent:
Mobile Fabric Water Tower System (2022)
US Patent Application Number 16/648,081