The project emerges from research into projected climate scenarios and their implications for water security. Climate models indicate disruptions to rainfall patterns and accelerating groundwater depletion globally. This crisis prompted exploration of adaptation strategies focused on immediate rainfall harvesting, examining evolutionary adaptations in water-scarce ecosystems.
Biomimetic Inspiration The design solution draws from the Namib desert beetle, which has evolved specialized adaptations for water collection in one of Earth’‘s most arid environments. The beetle‘’s carapace features hydrophilic bumps and hydrophobic channels that efficiently capture moisture from fog. This natural mechanism inspired the translation of similar principles to human scale, creating a wearable system for rainwater collection.
Materials and Fabrication Vegetable-tanned leather proved to be the ideal medium, combining water resistance, malleability and robustness. Both digital and handcrafted techniques were used to produce the leather garment. To determine the exact shape of the body, it was digitally scanned, then analyzed in CAD and a suitable shape was created. This was then produced using a CNC milling machine. The resulting mold was used to wet form the leather. The leather parts were then sewn together and the other parts joined.
Final Design: Form Follows Flow The final prototype embodies „form follows flow“ – a functional wearable system working harmoniously with rainwater. It features angled shoulder panels that maximize water collection area, while biomimetically optimized channel patterns efficiently direct collected water to strategic collection points. Integrated funnel systems channel the collected water into two hydration bladders for storage.
Design Philosophy & Future Implications This project operates at the intersection of speculative design, biomimicry and functional wearable technology. Rather than merely aestheticizing biological forms, it uses profound biomimetic principles - the study, extraction and adaptation of evolutionary solutions from nature.
The work demonstrates how biomimetic approaches can produce tangible solutions to the challenges of resource management. By positioning the human body as a habitat and harvesting system, the project questions the boundaries between natural processes and technological interventions. It contributes to the discourse on adaptation strategies to the uncertainty of climate change and shows how designers can respond to resource scarcity through systems thinking - offering not only survival tools, but also new ways of conceptualizing our relationship to fundamental resources.
2024/2025, 3th Semster, OTH Regensburg
In Collaboration with Pauline Vogl
Supervision: Prof. Anja Lapatsch,
M.Sc. David Meier