Virginia San Fratello is $10,000 happier tonight after winning Metropolis' third annual Next Generation award. San Fratello, who is an architect and professor at Clemson University, will use the winnings to seed her protoype of the Hydro Wall, a concrete and thermoplastic architectural element that collects rainwater. Says Metropolis:

"This layered wall will facilitate solar collection, thermal storage, and supplement the existing water supply used in and around a building. Panels could be used in commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. Fire stations could use the recycled water from the Hydro Wall to fill trucks. Schools and municipal buildings could use the water for heating and cooling, watering the landscape and as gray water for the building."

The proposal will be featured at NY's ICFF conference next month and featured in the June issue, out May 15.