Full Text
The Vessel Type: A Climate-Adaptive Framework for Water Infrastructure and Communal Life
Abstract
In regions where the impacts of climate change are intensifying, water insecurity is no longer a future concern but a present and escalating crisis. The Vessel Type is a prototype for a climate-adaptive architectural typology that integrates decentralized water infrastructure with public space. Developed for the rural village of Ambalorao in southern Madagascar, the project responds to the site’s dual hydrological challenges, which include seasonal flooding and prolonged drought, by incorporating a passive rainwater harvesting and filtration system within a communal gathering structure. Drawing from vernacular practices and ecological design strategies, the vessel stores, filters, and distributes water while creating a civic space that supports both everyday and seasonal forms of social life.
This paper outlines the research and design process behind The Vessel Type, focusing on the integration of environmental systems with cultural spatial programs. The project employs locally sourced materials, including reinforced concrete and regional timber, to balance structural durability with adaptability and warmth. A gravity-fed, low-tech filtration system ensures year-round water access without dependence on energy or specialized maintenance. Through its layered form and responsive platforms, the structure transforms with seasonal rhythms, becoming a living landscape that holds both water and memory. The paper concludes by exploring the scalability of this approach across climate-vulnerable regions, proposing a framework for infrastructure that is ecologically resilient, culturally grounded, and publicly accessible.
Introduction
Water insecurity is no longer a distant concern but an urgent and uneven global reality. In rural and peri-urban regions across the Global South, communities face intensifying cycles of drought and flooding, with significant implications for food production, public health, and daily life (UN-Water, 2021). Madagascar, in particular, has emerged as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate-driven water stress, where changing precipitation patterns increasingly intersect with infrastructural limitations (IPCC, 2023). In areas such as Ambalorao, flash flooding during the wet season overwhelms terrain and existing structures, while long dry seasons leave communities with inadequate access to clean water.
Despite the urgency, water infrastructure in these settings is often conceived as a purely technical system which is buried, hidden, and detached from daily use. However, in many cultures, water is not merely a utility; it is a social, ecological, and symbolic presence (Gleick, 1998). Addressing water insecurity in such contexts requires more than engineering solutions. It demands spatial strategies that recognize the cultural significance of water and support participation and resilience.
The Vessel Type was conceived in response to this intersection of environmental urgency and social need. Designed for the village of Ambalorao in southern Madagascar, the project serves as a prototype for an architectural typology that integrates water harvesting, storage, and filtration into a public structure. It challenges the conventional separation between infrastructure and community space by proposing a form that manages water while also supporting civic life. The vessel collects and filters rainwater during the wet season, stores it for extended dry periods, and remains accessible year-round for community interaction.
This paper examines the research and design process behind The Vessel Type. It explores how local environmental data and participatory methods contributed to a hybrid spatial system that merges resource stewardship with social experience. By positioning water as both a functional and cultural element, the project proposes a new way to imagine infrastructure in the age of climate uncertainty.
Context and Research Background
Ambalorao is located in the semi-arid southern region of Madagascar, an area increasingly affected by long-term water scarcity and erratic seasonal rainfall. Communities in this region experience a pronounced dual condition: short, intense rainfall during the wet season followed by prolonged drought. Historical precipitation data confirms this pattern, showing a steep concentration of rainfall from December to March, with little to no precipitation during the rest of the year (WeatherSpark, n.d.). (See Figure 1.) Although variability in precipitation is characteristic of the region, recent research has shown that these extremes have intensified in severity and frequency in recent years (Rigden et al., 2024; World Weather Attribution, 2022).The combination of drought and storm runoff poses a complex challenge for daily life, particularly in rural areas where infrastructure is minimal and vulnerability is high.
The physical landscape compounds these issues. The soil profile around Ambalorao consists largely of sandy and erodible substrates with poor water retention capacity. During the rainy season, flash floods strip away topsoil, disrupt transport routes, and leave behind surface runoff that cannot be effectively stored or filtered. Without centralized water infrastructure, most residents rely on shallow wells, seasonal streams, and surface catchment systems. These informal sources are inconsistent and often become unusable during droughts, heightening the risk of dehydration, waterborne disease, and social disruption.
Understanding these environmental conditions was essential to the design of a water management system that could function without continuous energy or advanced maintenance. The region’s sandy soils and low water retention capacity make groundwater extraction unreliable and increase the risk of erosion during heavy rains. With no centralized stormwater systems or filtration infrastructure, communities are especially vulnerable to flooding, contamination, and seasonal disconnection from clean water access.
Equally important were the cultural dimensions of water access and use. In many rural Malagasy communities, water is not treated solely as a commodity but as a shared resource embedded in everyday social practices. Wells, riverbanks, and communal basins serve both practical and social functions. In Ambalorao, the act of collecting or storing water is a collective task, often carried out by women and children, and situated within shared spatial routines. These cultural dynamics suggest that water infrastructure, when designed appropriately, can become a meaningful civic space.
This observation shaped the architectural intent of The Vessel Type. Rather than isolating infrastructure from experience, the project integrates utility and experience into a unified spatial system. From the outset, the structure was imagined as a hybrid: a working system for water management and a civic landmark that reflects local values and patterns of use.
Precedents from vernacular and indigenous water systems further informed the design. Historical examples such as Indian stepwells, Yemeni cisterns, and Chinese water courtyards demonstrate how architectural design has long been used to support both environmental and social functions. These systems were adapted to local topographies, constructed with regional materials, and sustained through collective participation. A comprehensive review of stepwells highlights not only their effectiveness in managing seasonal water availability, but also their role in shaping civic life through layered spatial experiences and symbolic meaning (MDPI Water, 2022). These structures offered shaded gathering spaces, spiritual sanctuaries, and cooling microclimates, all embedded within the infrastructure itself. Their success lay in the integration of utility and identity, indicating that water management can also cultivate belonging, memory, and care.
This legacy remains relevant for contemporary climate-adaptive infrastructure. The Vessel Type builds on these insights by proposing a design that is both technically responsive and socially embedded. Its form and materials are guided by environmental conditions, but its openness and spatial logic are grounded in everyday patterns of communal use. By drawing from traditional knowledge and ecological design principles, the project frames infrastructure not as an invisible system, but as a shared public space that holds both water and meaning.
Design Methodology
The development of The Vessel Type followed a research-based and context-sensitive design process. This methodology integrated environmental analysis, material investigation, and spatial prototyping to ensure that the system would be both ecologically resilient and socially meaningful. The intent was not to produce a fixed object, but to create a flexible typological framework that could adapt to different climatic and cultural conditions while remaining grounded in local realities.
Environmental Analysis
The design process began with a close study of local climate and hydrology. Data on seasonal precipitation, evaporation rates, and storm frequency in the Ambalorao region were cross-referenced with topographic surveys to understand water movement across the site. In regions like this, rainfall is typically brief and intense, leading to rapid runoff and erosion rather than deep infiltration. The architectural response was to shape the vessel in a way that slows down and collects water at key moments in the landscape.
This approach draws from resilience theory in landscape planning, which advocates for “safe-to-fail” systems designs that accommodate environmental variability rather than resist it through rigid control (Ahern, 2011). Instead of channeling water away, The Vessel Type captures and holds it, transforming a potential hazard into a community resource. Such strategies have gained traction in climate-adaptive design, where the unpredictability of future conditions calls for flexible, low-intervention systems that can operate passively over time.
Material Investigation
Material selection was shaped by environmental performance, durability, and local availability. Reinforced concrete was used for the structural base of the vessel due to its strength, water retention properties, and resistance to erosion. Its thermal mass also helps reduce water loss from evaporation during the dry season. Timber was selected for platforms, shade elements, and upper-level seating because it can be sourced locally, repaired with community labor, and modified over time. Using materials that are familiar to local builders ensures that maintenance and adaptation do not require external expertise.
This balance between industrial and local materials reflects broader research into embodied carbon and lifecycle analysis in architecture. Pomponi and Moncaster (2017) argue that sustainability must account not only for materials’ origin and carbon footprint, but also for their cultural embeddedness and post-occupancy adaptability. In this light, The Vessel Type seeks longevity not just through strength, but through familiarity and repairability.
Spatial Prototyping
The spatial logic of the structure was refined through iterative design studies, including both digital simulations and physical models. These tested how water volume, circulation, and human scale interact across different seasonal conditions. A stepped basin form was ultimately adopted, allowing for water levels to rise and fall while maintaining access to terraces and dry zones throughout the year.
This form directly references precedents like stepwells, which historically served both hydraulic and social functions. A recent review in MDPI Water (2022) emphasizes that these structures were not only efficient in managing monsoon flows, but also became layered spatial experiences for ritual and social gathering. The Vessel Type draws on this logic by designing terraces that offer opportunities for collection and observation, while also accommodating technical requirements like overflow and sedimentation zones.
Cultural and Programmatic Integration
Observations of daily and seasonal social practices in Ambalorao informed the arrangement of platforms, circulation paths, and shaded areas. Water collection points were integrated with informal gathering spaces to reflect the cultural importance of communal activity. Rather than assign fixed functions, the architecture provides spatial cues that invite interpretation with places to sit, wait, perform tasks, or simply pause. This flexible approach draws from traditions in participatory design, where infrastructure is shaped not only by professional knowledge but also by the lived practices of the community it serves. Brown and Farrelly (2009), in their study of sustainable water governance, highlight that community participation and transparency are essential to long-term infrastructure resilience. Systems that remain visible, socially embedded, and co-managed tend to perform better, not just technically but institutionally. In this context, the vessel becomes more than a structure;it becomes a shared framework of responsibility and meaning.
Through this methodology, The Vessel Type emerged not as a static form, but as an open system. It is structured enough to perform critical environmental functions and adaptable enough to reflect evolving patterns of life. The design process centered on the idea that infrastructure can be both technical and relational, something that provides a service while also enabling belonging and care.
Systems Integration and Technical Strategy
At the core of The Vessel Type is a passive rainwater management system designed to address Ambalorao’s alternating climate extremes: flash flooding during the wet season and prolonged droughts throughout the dry months. The design integrates architectural form and low-tech filtration into a unified structure that collects, stores, and distributes water while maintaining spatial and social accessibility.
Rainwater Catchment and Storage
The upper surfaces of the structure are shaped to maximize rainwater catchment, using inclined roof structure to direct runoff into open collection areas. These flows are guided toward a central basin which is an embedded concrete reservoir designed to hold substantial volumes of water during peak rainfall events. The basin’s stepped profile allows it to accommodate fluctuating water levels while preserving dry access zones around its perimeter.
The storage system is gravity-fed and open to visual monitoring. This visibility allows the community to observe water levels, encouraging shared awareness and stewardship of the resource. Overflow channels are integrated into the site grading and direct excess water toward planted infiltration zones, reducing erosion and supporting peripheral vegetation. These features reduce surface erosion and recharge the soil, creating a feedback loop between infrastructure and landscape. This aligns with findings in hydrological studies that emphasize the importance of integrated urban water management for both water quality and retention (Mitchell, 2006).
This design reflects a broader shift toward nature-based solutions in water management, where form and function are intertwined to support ecological resilience. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, 2021) has emphasized the value of decentralized water systems that work with, rather than against, local hydrology. In the case of The Vessel Type, the basin becomes not only a storage feature but also a visible educational element, reinforcing the relationship between rainfall patterns and resource availability.
Submerged Filtration System
To ensure that captured rainwater remains clean and usable during dry months, a submerged filtration bed is installed at the base of the reservoir. This system layers gravel, sand, and charcoal which are materials that are locally accessible and do not require imported technology. A sectional diagram of the filtration system illustrates how each layer functions to progressively clean the collected rainwater (see Figure 2). As rainwater flows downward, it passes through these natural filters, removing sediment and organic contaminants before pooling in the lowest catchment area.
This type of passive filtration system is supported by multiple studies in water engineering, which show that gravel-sand-charcoal combinations are effective in improving turbidity and reducing microbial contamination when maintained seasonally (Wegelin, 2001). These systems are particularly suited to rural contexts, where maintenance labor must rely on community knowledge and materials. Because the filter media can be sourced and replaced locally, the system promotes long-term sustainability through low dependency.
Material Performance
The storage basin is constructed from reinforced concrete, chosen for its ability to retain water, resist erosion, and stabilize temperature. Its thermal mass helps to reduce evaporation, keeping stored water cooler and more stable across seasonal changes. In contrast, timber is used for the vessel’s upper structure, including shade frames and gathering platforms. These elements are exposed to wear and can be repaired or rebuilt by local craftspeople.
This layered material strategy reflects contemporary thinking in sustainable construction. According to Asdrubali et al. (2015), the balance between permanent structural components and replaceable local finishes is essential to lifecycle sustainability. It ensures that the infrastructure can endure in critical areas while evolving through community stewardship in non-structural zones.
Modular and Scalable Framework
The vessel is not a singular or fixed design, but a modular framework that can be scaled or modified to respond to different environmental or cultural conditions. Its geometry can be adapted for sloped or flat sites, and its catchment dimensions can be recalibrated to local rainfall volumes. Timber platforms may be expanded or reduced depending on population needs. This adaptability allows the system to serve both as a standalone unit and as part of a larger distributed network of rainwater systems across a region.
This design philosophy aligns with current models of decentralized infrastructure, which stress the value of replicable, context-sensitive systems over large, centralized interventions. In their review of small-scale infrastructure for climate adaptation, Arup and Rockefeller Foundation (2015) noted that distributed systems tend to be more resilient, especially in low-resource settings, because they avoid bottlenecks and reinforce community autonomy.
By integrating form, filtration, and flexibility into a unified architectural structure, The Vessel Type offers a model for infrastructure that supports technical function, environmental regeneration, and collective care.
Social-Spatial Program
Beyond its technical function, The Vessel Type is designed to support communal life. By making water infrastructure visible and accessible, the project transforms a utilitarian system into a civic space that strengthens social bonds and spatial memory. The architecture encourages interaction between people and water, shifting the perception of infrastructure from something hidden and purely functional to something lived with, interpreted, and maintained.
Everyday Use and Accessibility
The stepped terraces surrounding the reservoir are designed as multi-functional zones that accommodate everyday use. These terraces offer shaded resting spots, circulation paths, and informal gathering areas, all scaled to accommodate seated individuals, water containers, or walking groups. This layout ensures that at least one level remains accessible and dry throughout the year, regardless of seasonal water fluctuations.
This approach draws from studies in environmental psychology and community infrastructure, which show that visibility and physical access foster stronger emotional connections to shared systems (Németh & Schmidt, 2007). When infrastructure becomes part of daily routines, it cultivates a sense of collective ownership and responsibility. In The Vessel Type, the absence of gates or enclosed boundaries reinforces an open, participatory ethos. Rather than restrict behavior, the structure invites informal interpretation and continual adaptation.
Seasonal Adaptation
As water levels rise and fall, the spatial character of the vessel transforms. During the rainy season, the central reservoir fills, making the surrounding terraces feel like an amphitheater overlooking a reflective pool. This temporary presence of water changes the pace and use of the space, encouraging observation and pause. In the dry season, the basin becomes more accessible and walkable, opening possibilities for informal gatherings or performances.
This design logic reflects ecological urbanism principles, where change is not resisted but revealed through space (Mostafavi & Doherty, 2010). Temporality becomes part of the spatial narrative, encouraging users to respond differently to the same space over time. In doing so, The Vessel Type contributes to a longer view of sustainability, one grounded in both function and experience.
Cultural Integration
Cultural research and site observation revealed that water collection in Ambalorao is not just a domestic task but a social activity. Shared wells and riverbanks often serve as informal gathering spots where people meet, wait, exchange news, and organize daily life. The vessel's timber shade structures, broad ledges, and edge geometries are drawn from these vernacular social patterns. These forms support both active and passive uses, such as conversations, pauses, market stalls, or spontaneous rituals.
Anthropological studies on water and place underscore that communal water systems often function as symbolic and spiritual sites, especially in resource-scarce environments (Strang, 2004). Designing for such uses means understanding infrastructure as part of cultural continuity, not simply service delivery. In The Vessel Type, the visibility of stored water and the shared care of the system mirror longstanding practices of collective stewardship and environmental awareness.
By merging spatial accessibility with social rhythm and cultural memory, the project offers a model for water infrastructure that supports civic identity as much as ecological resilience. It proposes a shift from infrastructure as background utility to infrastructure as foreground experience.
Discussion: Implications and Scalability
The Vessel Type is more than a response to a single village’s needs; it presents a replicable framework for reimagining water infrastructure in regions where climate, culture, and resource limitations converge. This section explores the broader implications of the project and examines how its principles may be adapted to other contexts experiencing similar vulnerabilities.
Adaptability Across Climates and Cultures
The stepped structure and passive water systems used in The Vessel Type are intentionally modular and scalable. Its basic geometry, which manages fluctuating water volumes through sectional layering, can be adjusted to suit various topographies and water demands. In regions that experience alternating drought and heavy rainfall, the form can remain largely unchanged. In areas with more stable hydrology, its storage or gathering functions may be expanded to support agricultural use or shade-based programming.
Material flexibility enhances this adaptability. While concrete and timber were used in Ambalorao for their performance and local availability, other regions might use stone, earth, bamboo, or even recycled materials. Scholars have emphasized that material localization is not only environmentally beneficial but also socially empowering, as it ties maintenance and construction skills to regional identity and labor economies (Pomponi & Moncaster, 2017). In this way, the vessel’s system is not rigid but evolves through its materials, responding to regional availability and vernacular methods.
Transferable Design Principles
What makes the vessel scalable is not just its form but the values it embodies. Three principles: visibility, participation, and resilience which underpin the design and offer a transferable framework for other projects.
First, making infrastructure visible cultivates community awareness and engagement. As observed by Németh and Schmidt (2007), accessible and open infrastructure fosters greater collective responsibility, especially when it is integrated into public life. In The Vessel Type, the reservoir is not hidden but central and observable, encouraging residents to track water levels, notice changes, and participate in care.
Second, the design supports participation without requiring formal programming. This aligns with long-standing findings in participatory design literature, which suggest that resilient infrastructure must allow for appropriation by its users (Brown & Farrelly, 2009). The vessel’s flexible zones are not pre-assigned but respond to rhythms of life, allowing people to shape their own relationship with the system.
Third, the vessel models a safe-to-fail design approach. As Ahern (2011) argues, infrastructure should be able to withstand unpredictable climate events without catastrophic loss of function. By using gravity-fed systems, familiar materials, and layered redundancy, the design ensures continued performance even when overwhelmed.
Potential for Networked Systems
While The Vessel Type was designed as a single intervention, its logic supports decentralized expansion. Similar structures could be deployed across a region, each calibrated to its microclimate and user base. Overflow from one site could feed into community gardens or wetlands, while shared repair knowledge could circulate between villages. This idea aligns with integrated water management strategies, where decentralized systems are seen as more resilient and equitable in resource-scarce settings (Mitchell, 2006).
Networked vessels could also form social infrastructure. Each site could serve as a gathering point, a place for learning, or even a platform for environmental stewardship programs. The visibility and accessibility of the design make it well suited for these educational and participatory functions.
As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2023) has emphasized, addressing climate resilience requires not only technical interventions but also inclusive governance and community ownership. By embedding social function into environmental performance, The Vessel Type points to a more integrated future for infrastructure that serves both survival and civic life.
Conclusion
In the context of intensifying climate uncertainty, rethinking infrastructure as both a technical and cultural system is no longer optional. The Vessel Type demonstrates that water management does not need to be hidden or separate from daily life. Instead, it can be shaped into a shared civic space that manages risk while creating opportunities for connection.
This project began with a simple question: how might architecture address environmental precarity without losing its capacity to support collective identity and everyday participation? Through site-specific research, community-informed design, and historical precedent, The Vessel Type proposes a typology that is adaptive to seasonal extremes, resilient without relying on advanced technologies, and grounded in the local life. It treats water not only as a resource to be managed but as a visible and meaningful element of public space.
Rather than offer a universal solution, the project outlines a flexible framework. The vessel’s modular structure, passive systems, and socially embedded design can be adapted to a range of geographies and cultures. Its emphasis on materials that are familiar and maintainable ensures long-term viability even in low-resource environments. Most importantly, the architecture supports public ownership which is not only of the system itself, but of the ecological knowledge and cultural practices it sustains.
By integrating water infrastructure with civic life, The Vessel Type invites a broader redefinition of sustainability. It moves beyond metrics to include visibility, adaptability, and belonging as core performance criteria. In doing so, it offers a model for climate-adaptive design that is responsive to crisis, and generative of community resilience and place-based identity.
This typological approach to infrastructure suggests that future systems whether for water, energy, or climate mitigation can also be frameworks for engagement. When infrastructure is shaped with attention to cultural continuity and spatial generosity, it becomes more than a technical fix. It becomes something that is lived with, looked after, and passed on.
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Abstract
In regions where the impacts of climate change are intensifying, water insecurity is no longer a future concern but a present and escalating crisis. The Vessel Type is a prototype for a climate-adaptive architectural typology that integrates decentralized water infrastructure with public space. Developed for the rural village of Ambalorao in southern Madagascar, the project responds to the site’s dual hydrological challenges, which include seasonal flooding and prolonged drought, by incorporating a passive rainwater harvesting and filtration system within a communal gathering structure. Drawing from vernacular practices and ecological design strategies, the vessel stores, filters, and distributes water while creating a civic space that supports both everyday and seasonal forms of social life.
This paper outlines the research and design process behind The Vessel Type, focusing on the integration of environmental systems with cultural spatial programs. The project employs locally sourced materials, including reinforced concrete and regional timber, to balance structural durability with adaptability and warmth. A gravity-fed, low-tech filtration system ensures year-round water access without dependence on energy or specialized maintenance. Through its layered form and responsive platforms, the structure transforms with seasonal rhythms, becoming a living landscape that holds both water and memory. The paper concludes by exploring the scalability of this approach across climate-vulnerable regions, proposing a framework for infrastructure that is ecologically resilient, culturally grounded, and publicly accessible.
Introduction
Water insecurity is no longer a distant concern but an urgent and uneven global reality. In rural and peri-urban regions across the Global South, communities face intensifying cycles of drought and flooding, with significant implications for food production, public health, and daily life (UN-Water, 2021). Madagascar, in particular, has emerged as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate-driven water stress, where changing precipitation patterns increasingly intersect with infrastructural limitations (IPCC, 2023). In areas such as Ambalorao, flash flooding during the wet season overwhelms terrain and existing structures, while long dry seasons leave communities with inadequate access to clean water.
Despite the urgency, water infrastructure in these settings is often conceived as a purely technical system which is buried, hidden, and detached from daily use. However, in many cultures, water is not merely a utility; it is a social, ecological, and symbolic presence (Gleick, 1998). Addressing water insecurity in such contexts requires more than engineering solutions. It demands spatial strategies that recognize the cultural significance of water and support participation and resilience.
The Vessel Type was conceived in response to this intersection of environmental urgency and social need. Designed for the village of Ambalorao in southern Madagascar, the project serves as a prototype for an architectural typology that integrates water harvesting, storage, and filtration into a public structure. It challenges the conventional separation between infrastructure and community space by proposing a form that manages water while also supporting civic life. The vessel collects and filters rainwater during the wet season, stores it for extended dry periods, and remains accessible year-round for community interaction.
This paper examines the research and design process behind The Vessel Type. It explores how local environmental data and participatory methods contributed to a hybrid spatial system that merges resource stewardship with social experience. By positioning water as both a functional and cultural element, the project proposes a new way to imagine infrastructure in the age of climate uncertainty.
Context and Research Background
Ambalorao is located in the semi-arid southern region of Madagascar, an area increasingly affected by long-term water scarcity and erratic seasonal rainfall. Communities in this region experience a pronounced dual condition: short, intense rainfall during the wet season followed by prolonged drought. Historical precipitation data confirms this pattern, showing a steep concentration of rainfall from December to March, with little to no precipitation during the rest of the year (WeatherSpark, n.d.). (See Figure 1.) Although variability in precipitation is characteristic of the region, recent research has shown that these extremes have intensified in severity and frequency in recent years (Rigden et al., 2024; World Weather Attribution, 2022).The combination of drought and storm runoff poses a complex challenge for daily life, particularly in rural areas where infrastructure is minimal and vulnerability is high.
The physical landscape compounds these issues. The soil profile around Ambalorao consists largely of sandy and erodible substrates with poor water retention capacity. During the rainy season, flash floods strip away topsoil, disrupt transport routes, and leave behind surface runoff that cannot be effectively stored or filtered. Without centralized water infrastructure, most residents rely on shallow wells, seasonal streams, and surface catchment systems. These informal sources are inconsistent and often become unusable during droughts, heightening the risk of dehydration, waterborne disease, and social disruption.
Understanding these environmental conditions was essential to the design of a water management system that could function without continuous energy or advanced maintenance. The region’s sandy soils and low water retention capacity make groundwater extraction unreliable and increase the risk of erosion during heavy rains. With no centralized stormwater systems or filtration infrastructure, communities are especially vulnerable to flooding, contamination, and seasonal disconnection from clean water access.
Equally important were the cultural dimensions of water access and use. In many rural Malagasy communities, water is not treated solely as a commodity but as a shared resource embedded in everyday social practices. Wells, riverbanks, and communal basins serve both practical and social functions. In Ambalorao, the act of collecting or storing water is a collective task, often carried out by women and children, and situated within shared spatial routines. These cultural dynamics suggest that water infrastructure, when designed appropriately, can become a meaningful civic space.
This observation shaped the architectural intent of The Vessel Type. Rather than isolating infrastructure from experience, the project integrates utility and experience into a unified spatial system. From the outset, the structure was imagined as a hybrid: a working system for water management and a civic landmark that reflects local values and patterns of use.
Precedents from vernacular and indigenous water systems further informed the design. Historical examples such as Indian stepwells, Yemeni cisterns, and Chinese water courtyards demonstrate how architectural design has long been used to support both environmental and social functions. These systems were adapted to local topographies, constructed with regional materials, and sustained through collective participation. A comprehensive review of stepwells highlights not only their effectiveness in managing seasonal water availability, but also their role in shaping civic life through layered spatial experiences and symbolic meaning (MDPI Water, 2022). These structures offered shaded gathering spaces, spiritual sanctuaries, and cooling microclimates, all embedded within the infrastructure itself. Their success lay in the integration of utility and identity, indicating that water management can also cultivate belonging, memory, and care.
This legacy remains relevant for contemporary climate-adaptive infrastructure. The Vessel Type builds on these insights by proposing a design that is both technically responsive and socially embedded. Its form and materials are guided by environmental conditions, but its openness and spatial logic are grounded in everyday patterns of communal use. By drawing from traditional knowledge and ecological design principles, the project frames infrastructure not as an invisible system, but as a shared public space that holds both water and meaning.
Design Methodology
The development of The Vessel Type followed a research-based and context-sensitive design process. This methodology integrated environmental analysis, material investigation, and spatial prototyping to ensure that the system would be both ecologically resilient and socially meaningful. The intent was not to produce a fixed object, but to create a flexible typological framework that could adapt to different climatic and cultural conditions while remaining grounded in local realities.
Environmental Analysis
The design process began with a close study of local climate and hydrology. Data on seasonal precipitation, evaporation rates, and storm frequency in the Ambalorao region were cross-referenced with topographic surveys to understand water movement across the site. In regions like this, rainfall is typically brief and intense, leading to rapid runoff and erosion rather than deep infiltration. The architectural response was to shape the vessel in a way that slows down and collects water at key moments in the landscape.
This approach draws from resilience theory in landscape planning, which advocates for “safe-to-fail” systems designs that accommodate environmental variability rather than resist it through rigid control (Ahern, 2011). Instead of channeling water away, The Vessel Type captures and holds it, transforming a potential hazard into a community resource. Such strategies have gained traction in climate-adaptive design, where the unpredictability of future conditions calls for flexible, low-intervention systems that can operate passively over time.
Material Investigation
Material selection was shaped by environmental performance, durability, and local availability. Reinforced concrete was used for the structural base of the vessel due to its strength, water retention properties, and resistance to erosion. Its thermal mass also helps reduce water loss from evaporation during the dry season. Timber was selected for platforms, shade elements, and upper-level seating because it can be sourced locally, repaired with community labor, and modified over time. Using materials that are familiar to local builders ensures that maintenance and adaptation do not require external expertise.
This balance between industrial and local materials reflects broader research into embodied carbon and lifecycle analysis in architecture. Pomponi and Moncaster (2017) argue that sustainability must account not only for materials’ origin and carbon footprint, but also for their cultural embeddedness and post-occupancy adaptability. In this light, The Vessel Type seeks longevity not just through strength, but through familiarity and repairability.
Spatial Prototyping
The spatial logic of the structure was refined through iterative design studies, including both digital simulations and physical models. These tested how water volume, circulation, and human scale interact across different seasonal conditions. A stepped basin form was ultimately adopted, allowing for water levels to rise and fall while maintaining access to terraces and dry zones throughout the year.
This form directly references precedents like stepwells, which historically served both hydraulic and social functions. A recent review in MDPI Water (2022) emphasizes that these structures were not only efficient in managing monsoon flows, but also became layered spatial experiences for ritual and social gathering. The Vessel Type draws on this logic by designing terraces that offer opportunities for collection and observation, while also accommodating technical requirements like overflow and sedimentation zones.
Cultural and Programmatic Integration
Observations of daily and seasonal social practices in Ambalorao informed the arrangement of platforms, circulation paths, and shaded areas. Water collection points were integrated with informal gathering spaces to reflect the cultural importance of communal activity. Rather than assign fixed functions, the architecture provides spatial cues that invite interpretation with places to sit, wait, perform tasks, or simply pause. This flexible approach draws from traditions in participatory design, where infrastructure is shaped not only by professional knowledge but also by the lived practices of the community it serves. Brown and Farrelly (2009), in their study of sustainable water governance, highlight that community participation and transparency are essential to long-term infrastructure resilience. Systems that remain visible, socially embedded, and co-managed tend to perform better, not just technically but institutionally. In this context, the vessel becomes more than a structure;it becomes a shared framework of responsibility and meaning.
Through this methodology, The Vessel Type emerged not as a static form, but as an open system. It is structured enough to perform critical environmental functions and adaptable enough to reflect evolving patterns of life. The design process centered on the idea that infrastructure can be both technical and relational, something that provides a service while also enabling belonging and care.
Systems Integration and Technical Strategy
At the core of The Vessel Type is a passive rainwater management system designed to address Ambalorao’s alternating climate extremes: flash flooding during the wet season and prolonged droughts throughout the dry months. The design integrates architectural form and low-tech filtration into a unified structure that collects, stores, and distributes water while maintaining spatial and social accessibility.
Rainwater Catchment and Storage
The upper surfaces of the structure are shaped to maximize rainwater catchment, using inclined roof structure to direct runoff into open collection areas. These flows are guided toward a central basin which is an embedded concrete reservoir designed to hold substantial volumes of water during peak rainfall events. The basin’s stepped profile allows it to accommodate fluctuating water levels while preserving dry access zones around its perimeter.
The storage system is gravity-fed and open to visual monitoring. This visibility allows the community to observe water levels, encouraging shared awareness and stewardship of the resource. Overflow channels are integrated into the site grading and direct excess water toward planted infiltration zones, reducing erosion and supporting peripheral vegetation. These features reduce surface erosion and recharge the soil, creating a feedback loop between infrastructure and landscape. This aligns with findings in hydrological studies that emphasize the importance of integrated urban water management for both water quality and retention (Mitchell, 2006).
This design reflects a broader shift toward nature-based solutions in water management, where form and function are intertwined to support ecological resilience. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, 2021) has emphasized the value of decentralized water systems that work with, rather than against, local hydrology. In the case of The Vessel Type, the basin becomes not only a storage feature but also a visible educational element, reinforcing the relationship between rainfall patterns and resource availability.
Submerged Filtration System
To ensure that captured rainwater remains clean and usable during dry months, a submerged filtration bed is installed at the base of the reservoir. This system layers gravel, sand, and charcoal which are materials that are locally accessible and do not require imported technology. A sectional diagram of the filtration system illustrates how each layer functions to progressively clean the collected rainwater (see Figure 2). As rainwater flows downward, it passes through these natural filters, removing sediment and organic contaminants before pooling in the lowest catchment area.
This type of passive filtration system is supported by multiple studies in water engineering, which show that gravel-sand-charcoal combinations are effective in improving turbidity and reducing microbial contamination when maintained seasonally (Wegelin, 2001). These systems are particularly suited to rural contexts, where maintenance labor must rely on community knowledge and materials. Because the filter media can be sourced and replaced locally, the system promotes long-term sustainability through low dependency.
Material Performance
The storage basin is constructed from reinforced concrete, chosen for its ability to retain water, resist erosion, and stabilize temperature. Its thermal mass helps to reduce evaporation, keeping stored water cooler and more stable across seasonal changes. In contrast, timber is used for the vessel’s upper structure, including shade frames and gathering platforms. These elements are exposed to wear and can be repaired or rebuilt by local craftspeople.
This layered material strategy reflects contemporary thinking in sustainable construction. According to Asdrubali et al. (2015), the balance between permanent structural components and replaceable local finishes is essential to lifecycle sustainability. It ensures that the infrastructure can endure in critical areas while evolving through community stewardship in non-structural zones.
Modular and Scalable Framework
The vessel is not a singular or fixed design, but a modular framework that can be scaled or modified to respond to different environmental or cultural conditions. Its geometry can be adapted for sloped or flat sites, and its catchment dimensions can be recalibrated to local rainfall volumes. Timber platforms may be expanded or reduced depending on population needs. This adaptability allows the system to serve both as a standalone unit and as part of a larger distributed network of rainwater systems across a region.
This design philosophy aligns with current models of decentralized infrastructure, which stress the value of replicable, context-sensitive systems over large, centralized interventions. In their review of small-scale infrastructure for climate adaptation, Arup and Rockefeller Foundation (2015) noted that distributed systems tend to be more resilient, especially in low-resource settings, because they avoid bottlenecks and reinforce community autonomy.
By integrating form, filtration, and flexibility into a unified architectural structure, The Vessel Type offers a model for infrastructure that supports technical function, environmental regeneration, and collective care.
Social-Spatial Program
Beyond its technical function, The Vessel Type is designed to support communal life. By making water infrastructure visible and accessible, the project transforms a utilitarian system into a civic space that strengthens social bonds and spatial memory. The architecture encourages interaction between people and water, shifting the perception of infrastructure from something hidden and purely functional to something lived with, interpreted, and maintained.
Everyday Use and Accessibility
The stepped terraces surrounding the reservoir are designed as multi-functional zones that accommodate everyday use. These terraces offer shaded resting spots, circulation paths, and informal gathering areas, all scaled to accommodate seated individuals, water containers, or walking groups. This layout ensures that at least one level remains accessible and dry throughout the year, regardless of seasonal water fluctuations.
This approach draws from studies in environmental psychology and community infrastructure, which show that visibility and physical access foster stronger emotional connections to shared systems (Németh & Schmidt, 2007). When infrastructure becomes part of daily routines, it cultivates a sense of collective ownership and responsibility. In The Vessel Type, the absence of gates or enclosed boundaries reinforces an open, participatory ethos. Rather than restrict behavior, the structure invites informal interpretation and continual adaptation.
Seasonal Adaptation
As water levels rise and fall, the spatial character of the vessel transforms. During the rainy season, the central reservoir fills, making the surrounding terraces feel like an amphitheater overlooking a reflective pool. This temporary presence of water changes the pace and use of the space, encouraging observation and pause. In the dry season, the basin becomes more accessible and walkable, opening possibilities for informal gatherings or performances.
This design logic reflects ecological urbanism principles, where change is not resisted but revealed through space (Mostafavi & Doherty, 2010). Temporality becomes part of the spatial narrative, encouraging users to respond differently to the same space over time. In doing so, The Vessel Type contributes to a longer view of sustainability, one grounded in both function and experience.
Cultural Integration
Cultural research and site observation revealed that water collection in Ambalorao is not just a domestic task but a social activity. Shared wells and riverbanks often serve as informal gathering spots where people meet, wait, exchange news, and organize daily life. The vessel's timber shade structures, broad ledges, and edge geometries are drawn from these vernacular social patterns. These forms support both active and passive uses, such as conversations, pauses, market stalls, or spontaneous rituals.
Anthropological studies on water and place underscore that communal water systems often function as symbolic and spiritual sites, especially in resource-scarce environments (Strang, 2004). Designing for such uses means understanding infrastructure as part of cultural continuity, not simply service delivery. In The Vessel Type, the visibility of stored water and the shared care of the system mirror longstanding practices of collective stewardship and environmental awareness.
By merging spatial accessibility with social rhythm and cultural memory, the project offers a model for water infrastructure that supports civic identity as much as ecological resilience. It proposes a shift from infrastructure as background utility to infrastructure as foreground experience.
Discussion: Implications and Scalability
The Vessel Type is more than a response to a single village’s needs; it presents a replicable framework for reimagining water infrastructure in regions where climate, culture, and resource limitations converge. This section explores the broader implications of the project and examines how its principles may be adapted to other contexts experiencing similar vulnerabilities.
Adaptability Across Climates and Cultures
The stepped structure and passive water systems used in The Vessel Type are intentionally modular and scalable. Its basic geometry, which manages fluctuating water volumes through sectional layering, can be adjusted to suit various topographies and water demands. In regions that experience alternating drought and heavy rainfall, the form can remain largely unchanged. In areas with more stable hydrology, its storage or gathering functions may be expanded to support agricultural use or shade-based programming.
Material flexibility enhances this adaptability. While concrete and timber were used in Ambalorao for their performance and local availability, other regions might use stone, earth, bamboo, or even recycled materials. Scholars have emphasized that material localization is not only environmentally beneficial but also socially empowering, as it ties maintenance and construction skills to regional identity and labor economies (Pomponi & Moncaster, 2017). In this way, the vessel’s system is not rigid but evolves through its materials, responding to regional availability and vernacular methods.
Transferable Design Principles
What makes the vessel scalable is not just its form but the values it embodies. Three principles: visibility, participation, and resilience which underpin the design and offer a transferable framework for other projects.
First, making infrastructure visible cultivates community awareness and engagement. As observed by Németh and Schmidt (2007), accessible and open infrastructure fosters greater collective responsibility, especially when it is integrated into public life. In The Vessel Type, the reservoir is not hidden but central and observable, encouraging residents to track water levels, notice changes, and participate in care.
Second, the design supports participation without requiring formal programming. This aligns with long-standing findings in participatory design literature, which suggest that resilient infrastructure must allow for appropriation by its users (Brown & Farrelly, 2009). The vessel’s flexible zones are not pre-assigned but respond to rhythms of life, allowing people to shape their own relationship with the system.
Third, the vessel models a safe-to-fail design approach. As Ahern (2011) argues, infrastructure should be able to withstand unpredictable climate events without catastrophic loss of function. By using gravity-fed systems, familiar materials, and layered redundancy, the design ensures continued performance even when overwhelmed.
Potential for Networked Systems
While The Vessel Type was designed as a single intervention, its logic supports decentralized expansion. Similar structures could be deployed across a region, each calibrated to its microclimate and user base. Overflow from one site could feed into community gardens or wetlands, while shared repair knowledge could circulate between villages. This idea aligns with integrated water management strategies, where decentralized systems are seen as more resilient and equitable in resource-scarce settings (Mitchell, 2006).
Networked vessels could also form social infrastructure. Each site could serve as a gathering point, a place for learning, or even a platform for environmental stewardship programs. The visibility and accessibility of the design make it well suited for these educational and participatory functions.
As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2023) has emphasized, addressing climate resilience requires not only technical interventions but also inclusive governance and community ownership. By embedding social function into environmental performance, The Vessel Type points to a more integrated future for infrastructure that serves both survival and civic life.
Conclusion
In the context of intensifying climate uncertainty, rethinking infrastructure as both a technical and cultural system is no longer optional. The Vessel Type demonstrates that water management does not need to be hidden or separate from daily life. Instead, it can be shaped into a shared civic space that manages risk while creating opportunities for connection.
This project began with a simple question: how might architecture address environmental precarity without losing its capacity to support collective identity and everyday participation? Through site-specific research, community-informed design, and historical precedent, The Vessel Type proposes a typology that is adaptive to seasonal extremes, resilient without relying on advanced technologies, and grounded in the local life. It treats water not only as a resource to be managed but as a visible and meaningful element of public space.
Rather than offer a universal solution, the project outlines a flexible framework. The vessel’s modular structure, passive systems, and socially embedded design can be adapted to a range of geographies and cultures. Its emphasis on materials that are familiar and maintainable ensures long-term viability even in low-resource environments. Most importantly, the architecture supports public ownership which is not only of the system itself, but of the ecological knowledge and cultural practices it sustains.
By integrating water infrastructure with civic life, The Vessel Type invites a broader redefinition of sustainability. It moves beyond metrics to include visibility, adaptability, and belonging as core performance criteria. In doing so, it offers a model for climate-adaptive design that is responsive to crisis, and generative of community resilience and place-based identity.
This typological approach to infrastructure suggests that future systems whether for water, energy, or climate mitigation can also be frameworks for engagement. When infrastructure is shaped with attention to cultural continuity and spatial generosity, it becomes more than a technical fix. It becomes something that is lived with, looked after, and passed on.
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