加州水危机呼唤全球领导力 | 设立水资源中心

Firm： StudioWolff

Type： Commercial › Exhibition Center

STATUS： Concept

SIZE： 25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft

BUDGET： $10M - 50M

California's severe and unprecedented water crisis calls for self-determined and bold action. Californians need not imagine a dystopian future, where withered landscapes full of hunger, fear, and hopelessness prevail when new water conserving practices and technology are available to produce an abundance of freshwater—even during extreme drought conditions. Still, more substantial issues of concern exist. The drought in California is more than regional phenomena; it is a common condition threatening the future prosperity and existence of numerous countries and nationalities. California is not only the most populous state in the United States and also its largest agricultural producer, but it also represents the seventh largest economy in the world. The drought situation offers California both opportunity and responsibility to establish a more significant, global leadership role, one which is central to combating both unsustainable human practices and the broader product of unsustainable human activity: climate change.

New practices and technology alone are insufficient to solve California's needs for abundant freshwater: public education is just as critical if not most important. Although the drought has received significant attention from the media, convincing people of the severity of the situation is an absolute priority. According to Jay Famiglietti, a senior water scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "We need to sustain available groundwater to help us get through these periods of very little rain and snow." While MSNBC reported, "Understanding that the drought is a larger problem than green lawns and almond trees is elemental to alleviating the situation, and educating those responsible for sustaining conservation efforts is a must" (Taylor-Hochberg, 2015). Consequently, the most effective action of all possible alternatives is to combine advanced water resource practices, treatment technology, and educational forums by the direct creation, development, and use of Water Resource Centers throughout California.