Index of Re-inventing Construction

Fog collection

Fog collection is an important method of gaining water in some regions, such as the Bellavista district of Lima in Peru.

Fog collection is the process of obtaining water from atmospheric moisture using man-made devices such as fog fences. Fog fences are typically large linear surfaces made from materials such as canvas, mesh, or woven wire that can capture droplets of water through condensation. The water then runs down the fence to be collected in a trough or container located at the bottom of the fence.

Fog collectors are useful in that they take advantage of existing climate conditions and require no external energy to operate. They are ideally located in mountainous areas near the ocean where fog is common and rainfall limited.

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Source: WhatWow

Construction continues: the wooden structure in January 2010 is covered with the rain harvesting skin by April 2010.

Example project – Coastal fog-harvesting tower, Huasco, Chile
The Huasco region in northern Chile is an agricultural region that depends on water for irrigation from the Huasco River. Water availability has decreased over the last decade, and new solutions have to be found to obtain water on the coast of this desert region. This project intends to use of the “Camanchaca”, a coastal fog originating from the anticyclone of the Pacific and condensing behind the coastline.

A 15m prototype tower was built in February 2010 to collect more data from the low cost model scaled at 1:10 compared to the final concept. Using the same mechanics for vertical fog harvesting the prototype delivered superior performance in comparison to traditional horizontal fog catching models. The tower is a striking landmark in its environment, and produces between 140 and 700L of water each day. Following completion of the research phase of the project, pre-fabricated models are planned that will support water demands for communities in extreme geoclimatic conditions.

read Holcim Awards project update – “Coastal fog-harvesting tower”, Huasco, Chile