Grohe Awards Prize for Carnegie Mellon University's Water Harvesting Research
What happened
Grohe announced the winner of the 2026 GROHE Water Prize for the World Architecture Festival. Carnegie Mellon University received the £10,000 prize for its research on sustainable water harvesting using bio-inspired architectural terracotta tiles. The project utilizes modular terracotta tiles to capture atmospheric fog, offering a mineral-based alternative to synthetic plastic netting.
Why it matters
The research details a facade tile system designed to advance community water self-sufficiency in arid, fog-prone regions. By replacing plastic netting with a durable, mineral-based material, the innovation addresses microplastic pollution while offering a smaller carbon footprint.
Who's involved
- GroheManufacturer that awarded the prize for sustainable water harvesting research.
- Carnegie Mellon UniversityResearch university that won the prize for its innovative water harvesting project.
- LixilCompany whose leadership was associated with the award process.
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
- Carnegie Mellon UniversitySpeculative
Carnegie Mellon University might see increased funding and recognition for its core research in sustainable water harvesting.
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The entities involved
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Carnegie Mellon University
private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
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Grohe
manufacturer of sanitary fittings
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