Towers tend to be inefficient in terms of the immense use of material and energy goes into making and sustaining them. The Taichung Skywater Tower by Atelier CMJN challenges that idea.
The tower acts as a water generator. Taiwan is the second nation in terms of annual rainfall but its steep topography renders the soil dry, and so Skywater Tower is context-specific in that aspect, but also seeks to tackle the water crisis by serving as a water-harvesting tower.
Its verticality is meant to capture more powerful winds at higher altitudes. Refrigeration panels condense water vapor either by cooling it below its dew point or pressurizing it. The power feeding these panels is harvested from the sun and/or wind. That way the power and product both come from natural sources. 
The goal in the future is to have a few of these towers around the city as water harvesting objects. A skyscraper usually aspires to be a landmark towering above the landscape and other buildings. It is interesting to see how architecture through innovative strategies that Atelier CMJN propose can raise awareness and also better a situation and still serve as a landmark.
Architecture cannot stop the water crisis but it can react to it. Programmatically it incorporates a vertical promenade, theater, museum, and research facilities. Skywater is a chance to educate and raise awareness, and I am curious to see if other program can be incorporated to have the community more directly involved in the space.
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By:Aiysha Alsane
