The Entire Ocean in a Drop

Water flows through us. It makes up most of our bodies, we cannot live without it – and yet, we treat it as if it is something that’s separate from us. We manage it, control it, use it, and discard it. What if we treated water not as a product, but as a living ecosystem of which we are an integral part? Can you help us bring this awareness into the world of construction? Apply for this open call now!

You will be working alongside the Water Embassy (previously part of World Design Embassies), a coalition committed to regenerative design. With a strong focus on housing and road construction, the Embassy aims to convince water professionals, governments, and the construction sector that homes and neighbourhoods can actively contribute to a resilient and thriving water ecosystem. The Water Embassy works with water, seeking to enhance its natural regenerative capacity.

Creating regenerative systems is not just a technical, economic, ecological, or social shift. To cultivate a truly regenerative culture, we must first realise – and acknowledge – that we are part of nature.

This realisation – that we are not separate from nature but are deeply interconnected with it – is at the heart of regenerative design. In this Co/Lab, we are looking for a design or methodology that makes this connection to water tangible. How can we, particularly in housing and urban development, create experiences that bring water to life again? How can we rekindle the sense of wonder we feel at the sea or by a flowing stream and integrate it into our everyday environments?

We are seeking a designer with a holistic perspective, someone who can translate our relationship with water into a physical, digital, or experiential concept. A design concept that shifts perspectives within the water sector and construction world, contributing to a regenerative future.

Do you want to work with the Water Embassy in deploying the power of design to realise fundamental change in the construction sector? Read the briefing and apply before 13 April!

Building on the success of programmes such as World Design Embassies and What if Lab, Dutch Design Foundation (DDF) offers a structured platform through Coalitions, bringing creative thinkers and doers together with the expertise and influence of science, organisations, and governments. In Co/Labs, DDF connects designers and experts to design challenges posed by governments, businesses, or institutions. A Co/Lab can be initiated by a single stakeholder or multiple parties forming a coalition around a shared challenge. This Co/Lab has been initiated by the Water Embassy, a collaboration between the Municipality of Eindhoven, Waterschap De Dommel, the Province of North Brabant, Rijkswaterstaat, and Studio Anouk van der Poll.