Building Without Water: A Debate on the Water Footprint (and Rainwater as a New Material)

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Can we construct buildings using less water? Throughout June, ArchDaily opened the debate on water resources in architecture, inviting our readers to join the discussion.

Global water use data is discouraging, and the construction process accounts for a significant portion of this consumption. It was time to think about how to reduce this impact. The need to design buildings that do not require water offered a unique opportunity to explore innovative and sustainable alternatives to minimize or even completely eliminate water use in construction.

After reviewing a vast number of comments and opinions, it was surprising to find consensus on an outstanding challenge: we must first measure and truly understand the actual water consumption of every architectural project, and figure out how to address this issue from both a construction and material perspective. 

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Cite: Dejtiar, Fabian. "Building Without Water: A Debate on the Water Footprint (and Rainwater as a New Material)" [Construir sin agua: Un debate sobre huella hídrica (y el agua de lluvia como nuevo material)] 04 Jul 2026. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1136119/building-without-water-a-debate-on-the-water-footprint-and-rainwater-as-a-new-material> ISSN 0719-8884
Arcari Quarry / David Chipperfield Architects. Image © Edmund Sumner

无水建造:关于水足迹的探讨(以及作为新材料的雨水)

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