Casa de agua y sol Project
In 2014, students from the Architecture and Applied Biosciences departments at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, as part of the international UNITY program, realized the “Casa de Agua y Sol” (House of Water and Sun) project in Chocruz, a remote indigenous village in Guatemala. In cooperation with the Leipzig-based NGO Mirador e.V., the team designed, funded, and built a water treatment plant and solar power installation to sustainably support a health and maternity clinic previously constructed in the village.
The clinic serves the local Maya population, which faces significant socioeconomic challenges and limited access to healthcare. To improve the clinic’s sustainability and reduce operating costs, the project focused on securing clean water and renewable energy, supported by funding from the Saxon Youth Foundation’s “Genial Sozial” program. The initiative combined technical planning, on-site water quality assessments, and community involvement, ensuring long-term benefits for healthcare delivery in this underserved region.
Images and Plans
Technical Description
The Casa de Agua y Sol project was designed and built by an interdisciplinary student team from Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in 2014. Addressing critical infrastructure needs in the remote Guatemalan village of Chocruz, the project provided sustainable water treatment and renewable energy for a health clinic and an adjacent school serving over 200 students.
The project comprised a water storage building, a plant-based filtration system, and a solar power installation. The water storage facility and filtration basin ensured reliable, clean water for medical use, while the solar installation reduced reliance on external energy sources in this mountainous region. The integrated system was tailored to local conditions and constructed within a three-month period, following a two-year planning phase that included site surveys, water quality testing, and close collaboration with the local community.
A total of eight students from Architecture, Nutrition Science, and Process Engineering contributed to the planning, with five participating in construction. The €30,685 budget was financed primarily through the Saxon Youth Foundation’s “Genial Sozial” program, university support, and student contributions, reflecting strong institutional and community engagement.
Supervised by Prof. Dr. Claus Dießenbacher and coordinated by Michael Bieler, the project exemplifies hands-on, socially responsible education and the successful integration of sustainable technologies in international development.