Faced with the resurgence of extreme climate events, the role of the designer is evolving. It is no longer only about creating aesthetic or functional objects for everyday life, but about imagining solutions capable of supporting the resilience of vulnerable populations. PuraFuente, the final-year project by Pénélope Diaz, a Sustainable Product Design graduate from Besign School, is part of this approach.
A finding: the urgency created by infrastructure failures

Puerto Rico is now on the front line of climate change. Between increasingly violent hurricanes and the structural weaknesses of the public network, access to drinking water regularly becomes a daily challenge for many communities, particularly in rural areas. In these emergencies, the burden of “resilience” too often falls on residents themselves, forced to adapt to the failure of public policy and infrastructure.

Designed as a flagship concept in industrial and sustainable design, PuraFuente explores new ways to ensure emergency access to drinking water.
Rather than considering a purely technical response, Pénélope Diaz structured her approach around three fundamental pillars:
– Climate: adapting the object to environmental constraints and major crisis contexts.
– Community: responding to real on-the-ground needs and fostering local mutual aid.
– Dignity: offering a solution that respects affected people by placing the human being back at the center of the design process.

Beyond the technical challenge, PuraFuente is a project rooted in a personal and cultural quest. For Pénélope, this work was an opportunity to explore her Puerto Rican origins, drawing inspiration from the mountains and rivers her family comes from. It is a tribute to the tenacity of communities that continue to move forward and show solidarity, even when traditional systems collapse.