OKRA has won the Water Resilient Cities Award 2019 for ‘The best sustainable drainage system for rainwater in an urban environment’. The award was presented by WRC project leader John Green in Peterborough to Rani Izhar of OKRA during the network meeting of the Interreg project Water Resilient Cities.

OKRA received the prize for the redesign of the city centre of Nijverdal. OKRA was commissioned to transform the city centre into an attractive and lively place that is friendly and welcoming with sufficient space for pedestrians. Sustainable technical solutions for water management, water collection and drainage make the area climate adaptive, resistant to recent climate developments with periods of extreme precipitation and periods of severe drought and heat in summer. Rainwater is stored under the pavement to provide the trees with sufficient water and to feed a water playground with fountains. The design came about in close cooperation with residents and entrepreneurs, the municipality of Hellendoorn and Dusseldorp Groep.