Embassy of Water

Over the past seven years, Dutch Design Foundation brought together designers, governments, businesses and knowledge institutions through the World Design Embassies programme to shape a more sustainable and socially inclusive future. Each Embassy focused on a specific societal theme – ranging from health and mobility to food and safety – using design as a tool to explore new perspectives and shape meaningful transitions. World Design Embassies provided space for research, experimentation and connection. Take a look below at 7 years of the Embassy of Water.

The Embassy of Water explores new ways of relating to water. Their aim: to restore the natural water cycle and foster a society that engages with water in a sustainable and respectful manner. The Embassy challenged existing perceptions about water and emphasises the importance of a reciprocal relationship with this life source.

From consumption to reciprocity

Water has traditionally been viewed as an infinite resource, leading to usage patterns that disrupt the natural cycle. The Embassy advocates for a shift in perspective: we should no longer see water merely as a product, but as a living element deserving care and respect. By reimagining our relationship with water, the Embassy encourages a culture of reciprocity—where we don’t just take, but also give back to the water system. The installation INdirect INvisible WATER by Studio Makkink & Bey and Studio Corvers, for instance, made the often hidden relationships between human behaviour and water consumption visible.

Listening to water’s voice

The Embassy developed projects such as Voice of Water, in which people assume the role of water to represent its interests, and the Human Well-Wishing Well, an installation inviting visitors to reflect on what sort of people water might wish for. These projects underscore the Embassy’s ambition to create experiences that deepen our emotional connection with water and promote sustainable behaviour.

Designing for water-conscious living

A tangible example of this vision is the focus on regenerative housing: buildings that function as collective, natural purification systems, returning cleaner water to nature. By integrating water-conscious design into housing, the Embassy demonstrates how our living environments can positively contribute to the water cycle. This approach is rooted in a fundamental belief: our homes and cities should contribute to, rather than interfere with, natural water processes.

Innovating and experimenting together

The Embassy facilitates experiments where new ideas around water management are tested in practice, in collaboration with water boards, local councils and designers. These collaborations give rise to scalable solutions applicable across diverse urban contexts—with the goal of creating a more inclusive, flexible and future-proof approach to water sustainability.