2026 Archive : A Dam Good Idea

Project Details

Fabric 1

1200gsm Orange PVC
Producer/Manufacturer: Serge Ferrari North America Inc.
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Please describe the project specifications

A mining operation in Latin America needed a practical solution to dust suppression across a large active site. The method of delivery? Drones. The challenge was giving those drones a reliable, accessible water source they could return to repeatedly, something portable, durable, and designed to work in a demanding industrial environment.

The client needed a water storage solution that could be deployed on site, hold a meaningful volume of water, and crucially, keep that water within reach of the drones at all times regardless of how full or empty the tank was.

What is unique or complex about the project?

The floating top ring is the innovation that makes this work. As the water level drops with each drone collection, the ring drops with it, meaning the water surface is always at a consistent, reachable depth. No guesswork, no failed pickups, no downtime. The drones can return and collect efficiently every single time.
This 2,200-litre unit was purpose-built, tested, and exported overseas to the mine site, a New Zealand-made solution solving a real-world industrial problem on the other side of the world.
A dam good idea — and the engineering to back it up.

Content is submitted by the participant. ATA is not responsible for the content descriptions of the IAA award winners.