H2O is a Hydrographic Institute in Newburgh of upperstate New York that reimagines the waterfront through a dual-purpose design: an educational institution and a water filtration plant. The 21-acre facility extends 80 feet below ground, processing 300 million gallons of water daily.

Drawing inspirations from water bubbles along the river shore and the utopian tradition of circular villages, the institute is designed as a collection of spherical clusters. Each circle functions as a self-contained department housing academic buildings, dining halls, administration offices, and residential halls. These circular forms serve both as political apparatus and spatial strategy, enabling the university’s footprint expansion into Newburgh and toward the Hudson River. The dual functions of the campus enable the institution location to serve the city of Newburgh in an utilitarian, spatial way, besides through typical economic impacts.