The American Institute of Architects (AIA)'s documentary competition is underway, and we are proud to be involved in a documentary about David Hertz and his work with making water from air.
David Hertz was recently featured in an article in The Malibu Times by Pam Linn. You can read the whole article here. An excerpt of the article is below.
“it was with great joy that I read in the current issue of The New Yorker about California architect and environmentalist David Hertz, whose penchant for repurposing all kinds of building materials is legendary. While residents grouse about the water shortage, Hertz has taken steps to alleviate its worst.
His story, reported by Sheila Marikar in the “Talk of the Town” section — ordinarily about New York doings — appeared under the headline “California Postcard.” I was hooked.
It seems a former client and general contractor, Richard Groden of Florida, has co-invented a machine called Skywater that turns air into filtered, distilled water. Having installed one in his Venice office last fall, Hertz agreed to demo the $18,000 machine to prospective clients while helping to alleviate his neighborhood’s water shortage.
The unit, which looks like an air conditioner, produces as much as 150 gallons of clean water per day from condensation in the atmosphere. (Apparently, this amount relies on the relative humidity.) Hertz has a smaller one in his office kitchen that looks like an ordinary water cooler without the plastic bottle on top, writes Marikar.
Since Hertz doesn’t need all the water produced, he directs the excess into large drums that water more than 80 vegetable boxes where people can collect free produce. The boxes will soon sport signs that say: “Watered by Skywater.” This will help the community understand the plants aren’t watered with tap water, Hertz explains.
The 150-gallon unit shares an outdoor storage space with surfboards and funnels water into a fountain that Hertz installed in an adjacent alley for homeless people to use, according to Marikar’s profile. After years of drought, many fountains and showers near the beach — key water sources for the local homeless population — had been shut off.”
An article in the new issue of The New Yorker magazine covers David Hertz and his work bringing Skywater to the community of Venice California.
David Hertz and his work with Skywater is featured on General Admissions's blog, click below for the full article
“There’s only a few people I know who care about the community they live in as much as David Hertz does. He plays a tough role as a famed architect, tough due to the ongoing war on modern development and gentrification in the Venice community. His passion is preserving the soul of the city where he lives and giving back to those less fortunate than him.”
