Water-purifying tower to heal South Africa landscapes hurt by acid mine drainage
In Johannesburg, South Africa, the gold mining industry has deeply scarred the environment and the water sources. However, Architecture For a Change offered a solution for this, according to Inhabitat. The landscape might be healed by a dam and a water purification plant.
Chronic exposure to acid mine drainage might cause cancer, skin lesions and cognitive impairment, Architecture For a Change says. In a bid to end this, they imagined a network of purification for the stations, so that the landscapes begin to heal. A skyscraper woul house the laboratories and the purification plant, using the Trailblazer KNEW Ion Exchange technology to clean contaminated water. The treatment would result in clean water and, moreover, substances like dolomite, gypsium and salt that might be used in fertilizers or building.
The system would not only clean the water, but could be implemented into the city’s urban structure. The project would have three phases. First, a large body of water that could become a waterfront held in by a dam will be created by pumping water from a mining void and purifying it. Second, while the land recovers, water levels will decrease and the walls of the dam might be turned into housing. Lastly, when the landscape is restored, the empty dam will be turned into a park fertilized with the byproducts of the treatment process, surrounded by housing in the dam walls. Eventually, the purification plant has the potential to be turned into a solar power station that would provide energy for the homes. The main building might also host a hotel, restaurants, offices and even retail spaces.
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Re-mining Johannesburg also uses sustainable design. The building’s geometry doesn’t include a roof or a southern facade, which minimizes heat loss. Furthermore, the purification process would generate enough heat that could be reused to warm the building in the winter.
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