Prototype Development Report

1.0 Prototype Design Background

1.1 Prototype alternatives based on brainstorming voting results
Water is an essential element for healthy ecosystems, socioeconomic development, food
production and human existence. As a vital link which connects society and environment, water is also a
main core of adaptation to climate change. In the 21st century, water scarcity is almost universal, and as
the world’s population is growing the water demand increases, which eventually fresh water sources
will be negatively affected. To solve the current issue, water harvesting techniques are used. In general,
water harvesting is the activity of direct collection of rainwater, which is the first idea the group
thought. Rainwater harvesting can be undertaken through capturing water from rooftops.
However, the collector requires additional mechanism for filtration of rainwater to obtain clean
water, causing an increase in material cost. Then, the idea of hydroponics and irrigation planting system
comes up, for our project aims to bring convenience to time-constrained customers who seek an
automating plant watering system. The idea was excluded due to the complication of mechanism,
requiring further coding, and building for the project. In the end, the group members decided to build an
easier device of atmospheric water collector, ideate by Warka Water Tower that was built in Haiti,
Togo.
1.2 Explanation of reason for choosing the prototype idea
We decided to build a smaller scale of Warka Water Tower, as the original scale is 9 meters high
with 7 meters in diameter. To suit users in high-rise residential building, we’ve sketched 23 centimeters
high with 21 centimeters of diameter structure. This prototype idea was chosen because according to
local area research, water supply and quality in Selangor area decreases due to high-density of
population, causing high demand of water usage that brings huge burden to the filtration system in the
area. If most of the houses have their own way of water collecting, the burden will reduce and cost of
maintenance will decrease as well.
On the other hand, compare to other water harvesting system such as Water Maker, Fog
Harvesting and Skywell, Warka Water Tower does not require energy to function, structure can be easily
build, lower building cost and maintenance cost. Installation of Warka Water Tower does not require
skill labour as well. The principle of Warka Water Tower is collecting fresh water through formation of
water droplets, without source water and filtration system required. Feasibility studies demonstrated
that the structure is suitable at relative humidity of 50-70%, and effectively used for drinking in semi-
arid region. Malaysian Meteorological Department of Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment &
Climate Change, MET Malaysia states that Malaysia has high humidity, the average monthly relative
humidity shows between 10-90% which is suitable for the Warka Water Tower structure to function
[METMalaysia. (n.d.). Laman Web Rasmi Jabatan meteorologi Malaysia. METMalaysia - Utama.
Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.met.gov.my/en/pendidikan/iklim-
malaysia/#Relative%20humidity] .

2.0 Prototype Development and Delegation

Our team initially planned to build a round tower using bamboo, but soon discovered that we
lacked the necessary skills and materials. The cost of the first prototype exceeded our budget due to
the expensive bamboo, netting, and processing required. Undeterred, we decided to shift to a
square shape, but were unable to find a suitable diameter of bamboo. After exploring various
options, we stumbled upon ice cream sticks as a potential replacement. While unconventional, we
found that the sticks were sturdy enough to support the structure.
 However, we soon realized that the ice cream sticks were not an ideal solution for our needs, as
their size limited us to a small diameter. To overcome this challenge, we switched to a hexagonal
shape. This design allowed us to utilize the ice cream sticks while also providing a stronger, more
stable structure. Despite facing multiple setbacks, our team remained persistent and flexible,
ultimately achieving our goal of building a cost-effective, energy saving, functional atmospheric
water tower.

3.0 Storytelling of the 1st Prototype and Annotation

User Quotes Meaning Conclusion

MCKL ACCA student “Water is crucial” Not to litter
“Water contamination Prevent water pollution Creating water in with a
cut-off water supply” Scientific way
MCKL DIT student “Water contamination Create water with nuclear
brings bad outcome” fission
“Water is important”
TARUMT student “Water contamination Cooperation between Convenient way of
affects water supply” countries in terms of collecting water
“Uncomfortable without resource and expertise
water supply”
4.0 Display of Warka Water Tower

The tower's outer shell is made up of a mesh-like material, which in our case, mesh net, that
helps collect water droplets from the air. The droplets then flow down into a collection basin at the
bottom of the tower. The tower's interior is lined with a mesh that helps the collected water to
condense further, which makes it easier to collect.
- Height 23.3cm - Width 21cm (corner to corner) - 11.5 cm for each stick
-19cm (side to side)

- Bottom 11.5cm (triangle) (diameter: 9.5 cm)