Porto Alegre (RS)
Completed
The Caravelas arrived in Porto Alegre in September 2025, in an operation that connected two of the city’s most emblematic water systems: Guaíba and Arroio Dilúvio.
Although very different in nature, both play an essential role in the city’s urban, environmental, and climate dynamics.
On one side, Guaíba, a defining part of Porto Alegre’s landscape and identity.
On the other, Arroio Dilúvio, a vital part of the city’s water infrastructure, supporting urban drainage and adaptation to heavy rainfall.
Together, these two territories offered a unique opportunity to observe how different bodies of water respond to the presence of the technology
and to the pressures of the urban environment.
GUAÍBA E ARROIO DILÚVIO
Urban lake and river environments
September to December 2025
WHY THIS TERRITORY MATTERS
In recent years, Porto Alegre has become central to conversations around climate adaptation and urban resilience.
Extreme weather events have highlighted the importance
of better understanding the city’s water systems and developing solutions that bring together nature, infrastructure, and urban planning.
Operating simultaneously in Guaíba and Arroio Dilúvio
allowed us to compare two very different environmental realities and deepen our understanding of the role water plays in building more resilient cities.
The project also connects directly with Porto Alegre’s Climate Action Plan, which recognizes the Caravela as one of the innovative solutions contributing to the city’s water-resilient future.
Comparative analysis of different urban water dynamics
Continuous ecological monitoring
Demonstration of solutions for climate resilience
Nature-based ecological remediation
Environmental education
CARE, BUILT TOGETHER
The Porto Alegre project was led by Infinito Mare, with sponsorship from Heineken, which enabled the initial deployment of the Caravelas
in Guaíba and Arroio Dilúvio.
The operation in Arroio Dilúvio was supported
by the City of Porto Alegre, strengthening the dialogue between innovation, urban management, and climate resilience.
Research and analyses associated with the operation were carried out in collaboration with UFRGS, USP, and Econsulting, contributing
to investigations into local biodiversity, environmental quality, and the presence of contaminants in the territory.
After the sponsored phase came to an end, the Caravelas remained in Porto Alegre.
Today, both units remain installed side by side at Parque Pontal, with the support of Marina do Pontal, which helps sustain the technology’s presence in the territory.
The knowledge and insights gained from this operation continue to inform the Caravela’s evolution and new initiatives focused on water regeneration and urban climate adaptation.
WHAT THIS WATER REVEALED
Porto Alegre showed us that there is no single kind of water ecosystem and dynamics.
By operating simultaneously in Guaíba and Arroio Dilúvio, the Caravela encountered very different realities, revealing the diversity of urban aquatic systems.
Throughout sampling, analysis, and field observations, we were able to understand how each environment responds to climate cycles, urban pressures, and local ecological processes.
The territory also revealed the importance of seeing water
as living infrastructure. More than a landscape, water plays a role in drainage, biodiversity, climate adaptation, and the way cities function.
The experience also showed how extreme events can rapidly transform a territory, reinforcing the importance of solutions that can adapt to changing conditions and the challenges of urban environments.
More than ready-made answers, Porto Alegre deepened our understanding of the relationship between water, cities, and climate.
The experience reinforced the need to bring together science,
nature, and urban planning to build more resilient futures.
The scale of Gauíba
Arroio Dilúvio
Science in the field
Water & city
Life taking place
WHAT THIS TERRITORY REPRESENTS
Porto Alegre represents one of the most strategic territories in Infinito Mare’s journey.
It was here that the technology began to engage directly with the challenges of urban climate adaptation, at a defining moment of reflection on the relationship between cities and water.
The experience demonstrated that nature-based solutions can contribute not only to ecosystem regeneration, but also to building more resilient cities.
The recognition of the Caravela in Porto Alegre’s Climate Action Plan reinforces its potential as a tool for monitoring, regeneration, and climate adaptation.
The knowledge and insights gained in Guaíba and Arroio Dilúvio continue to inspire new applications in cities seeking to strengthen their relationship with water and prepare their territories for the challenges ahead.