Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Facility Wins Global Architecture Award
The Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Facility is located in Cape Town, South Africa, and was designed by SALT Architects for the City of Cape Town, winning the Architizer A+ Jury Award in the Factories and Warehouses category. The project is part of the Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) process, which reclaims groundwater by purifying it and returning treated wastewater to underground aquifers.
The new recharge facility is the foundation of this system. Water is pumped into the facility from adjacent wastewater treatment plants and directed to the highest platform on the site. Here it enters a gravity-fed pathway: first through media filtration, then down to a second level for ozone and biologically activated carbon (BAC) treatment, and finally to a third platform for ultraviolet disinfection. After treatment, it is pumped into the aquifer below.
The architectural design responds to this process. Four long filtration halls are spread out over terraces on the site. The east and west facades are protected by deep brick fins. Narrow south-facing openings provide light and ventilation. The arrangement of solids and voids is tailored to the needs of maintenance, ventilation, light control and microbial containment.
At the top of the site, a two-storey administration component is integrated into the topmost filtering building. This includes offices, meeting spaces and staff facilities. There are elements such as a glazed atrium and rhythmic brick brise-soleil.
Much of the heavy infrastructure of the site is buried underground within solid water retention structures. The above-ground architecture provides legibility and presence to the process. The site plays a role in the City of Cape Town’s water resilience efforts and can serve as a point for demonstration and technical participation.
Project Credits
Official Project Name: Aquifer Recharge Facility
Location: Cape Flats WWTW, Cape Town, South Africa
Client: City of Cape Town
Architect: SALT Architects
Civil and Design Engineers: Water and Wastewater Engineering
Project Manager and Structural Engineers: JG Afrika
Structural Engineer: WA Structural Design cc
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers: Cyntech
Geotechnical Engineers: Peregrine Consultants
Fire Consultants: PMC Consultants
Contractor: Stefanutti Stocks
Project Completion Date: 2024
Awards:Architizer A+ Awards 2025 Typology Winners
Photographer: Karl Rogers
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