6/2025 - Sustainable Terraforce® Solution Elevates Award-Winning Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Plant

Terraforce® technology chosen for award-winning aquifer recharge initiative in water-stressed region

The Terraforce round face walls under construction by Amandla Construction

The Terraforce® blocks also add texture and pattern to the landscape, creating an engaging dialogue between the built structures and their surroundings

The Cape Flats Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) plant, a Jury Winner in this year’s prestigious Architizer A+ Awards in New York, is a pioneering response to Cape Town’s water crisis in 2018, infamously called “Day Zero”, that almost saw an entire city without water. In its 13th Year, the A+ Awards honours the best buildings and spaces of the year, celebrating the work of pioneering architects and designers like those behind this crucial water management facility.

Terraforce® proved to be the perfect solution instead, as these blocks are plantable and permeable, creating a more aesthetically pleasing result — Terraforce® proved to be the perfect solution, as these blocks are plantable and permeable, creating a more aesthetically pleasing result

Three building platforms at different elevations needed to be retained with Terraforce® blocks

Terraforce® 4x4 Step™ blocks provided staircase access — Terraforce® 4×4 Step™ blocks provided staircase access between the three levels

Commissioned in response to the Cape Town Water Crisis, this water treatment plant located in the Cape Flats recharges the aquifer through a series of four linear filtration buildings. Treated effluent is purified to potable standards and reinjected into the aquifer to maintain its levels. This process unfolds through four linear filtration buildings, carefully arranged along an artificial slope to facilitate a gravity-fed filtration system. The journey begins at the highest filtration building and descends to the lowest, where the purified water is redirected to the aquifer. The long east-west facades of these buildings feature angled brick fins and narrow south-facing windows, creating a “gilled” aesthetic that filters light while preventing algae growth in the filters. These facades act as membranes – not for water but for sunlight – transforming filtration into both a functional and symbolic architectural element.

The Terraforce® retaining wall blocks were selected to complement SALT Architects’ thoughtful design vision, with their round-faced finish resembling natural rock formations creating an organic counterpoint to the precise geometry of the building’s brick fins. This harmonious integration of engineered structures with architectural elements reinforces the project’s commitment to functionality and aesthetic cohesion. The blocks also add texture and pattern to the landscape, creating an engaging dialogue between the built structures and their surroundings.

Situated within the False Bay Nature Reserve in Pelican Park, this facility addresses the need for sustainable water management by purifying treated effluent to potable standards and recharging the Cape Flats Aquifer. The site, a flat sandy expanse bordered by dunes, endures strong prevailing southeasterly winds and corrosive coastal conditions, all of which informed the design approach.

The indigenous vegetation, in this case Carpobrotus or Sour Fig, is starting to fill in the blocks beautifully. — The indigenous vegetation, in this case Carpobrotus or Sour Fig, is starting to fill in the blocks beautifully

Says Lukhanyo Losi, Site Agent, Stefanutti Stocks: “During the design phase, it became evident that there were 3 platforms at different elevations, with approximately 8m difference between them. Initially, solid concrete retaining walls were proposed, but the client considered this option unattractive. Terraforce® proved to be the perfect solution instead, as these blocks are plantable and permeable, creating a more aesthetically pleasing result. This choice was also more environmentally sound, which was particularly important given that the project is located in a nature reserve.”

The landscaping was designed by the Salt Architects and installed by Contours Landscapes, with a different array of plants such as CARPROBROTUS EDULIS in the Terraforce® blocks and ERIOCEPHALUS AFRICANUS, METALASIA MURICATA, PELARGONIUM CAPITATUM and SEARSIA (RHUS) CRENATA between the buildings. This strategic plant selection serves dual purposes: the extensive root systems of these indigenous species provide crucial erosion control by binding soil particles and reducing surface water runoff, while the varied textures, forms, and seasonal colors of the vegetation effectively soften the visual impact of the retaining walls, creating a more natural integration between the built infrastructure and the surrounding landscape.