waterbank campus by PITCHAfrica harvests precious rainfall

waterbank campus by PITCHAfrica harvests precious rainfall
photo by aggrey maganga
all images courtesy of PITCHAfrica

a rain harvesting school campus, that also includes a 1,500-seat football stadium, is set to open later this month in kenya’s central highlands. the ‘waterbank’ project, conceived and designed by the non-profit design group PITCHAfrica, comprises four distinctive structures that store high volumes of potable water at low cost, providing a year round supply.

the development’s centerpiece is a 1,500-seat football stadium
photo by zeitz foundation

home to the samuel eto’o football academy, the 5-a-side arena forms the centerpiece of the development, supplemented with various classrooms and an environmental education facility. other buildings include a dormitory for girls, a canteen and latrines. the vast scheme has been developed to meet the region’s water requirements, while also addressing social issues that include sanitation, nutrition, gender equality and health.

the arena can store more than 1.5 million liters of water

‘integrating harvesting, storing and filtering of rain into school community buildings supports communities in becoming increasingly self reliant for their water needs. this is possibly one of the greatest catalysts for change that a community can have’, explains jane harrison, founder of PITCHAfrica. ‘bringing football into the mix brings passion, an attentive audience, bridging differences. this can make the desire to model peaceful collaboration and share knowledge about sustainable environmental practices a reality, while providing students with an environmentally engaged education, healthy food and clean water‘.

the site will be home to the samuel eto’o football academy
photo by rei khemikhali

the project is being implemented through a partnership between PITCHAfrica and the locally based zeitz foundation. founder jochen zeitz commented, ‘PITCH offers an innovative approach to addressing one of africa’s most pressing problems, provision of clean drinking water; whilst providing urgently needed sport facilities. this makes it a win-win proposition, good for health and good for the environment. I’m happy to be able to support the first pitch in africa’.

stay tuned for further coverage of the project, as construction comes to a close. meanwhile, see designboom‘s article on PITCHAfrica‘s waterbank school here.

the developement’s canteen under construction
photo by louisa kamau