Building Your Own Permeable Backyard with Nancy Agati & DesignPhiladelphia

As a part of DesignPhiladelphia’s 20th Annual Festival, join us within Nancy Agati’s installation “Aqua Terrace” to learn more about how to transform concrete spaces into permeable ecosystems that help mitigate flooding issues and rebuild water systems in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Artist Nancy Agati will present examples of her artwork: sculpture, installations, and public participatory projects that address the topic of water. Her work emphasizes the contemplative beauty of clean-flowing waterways in urban areas, with several projects that address flooding and stormwater runoff in the built environment. Agati’s permeable surface art projects offer mitigation strategies for climate-related water management issues and seek to foster reverence and stewardship for nature and clean water advocacy.

This workshop will highlight a step-by-step process for small-scale DIY permeable surface yard installations. Participants will be introduced to a variety of possible materials and building methods. Time will be allotted for sketching ideas, answering questions, discussing costs, and learning about the benefits of porous materials. Participants are encouraged to bring cell phone photos of the yard they wish to transform.