By Jenny Zeller
H2Oh!, by Studio MAYO Architects of Louisville, Kentucky, has been recognized for Excellence in Architectural Design in the 2025 Honor Awards program of the Kentucky Society of Architects (AIA Kentucky). The award was presented during the joint 2025 AIA Kentucky | AIA Indiana Convention in Lexington, KY.
As one of the inaugural installations for Bernheim’s L+A+N+D (Landscape + Art + Nature + Design) program, H2Oh! invites visitors to experience, on a tangible, human scale, the limited water resources that sustain life on Earth.
Inspired by The World’s Water, a scientific document by Howard Perlman of the U.S. Geological Survey, H2Oh! visualizes the relationship between the size of our planet and the volume of water it contains. The creative experience brings this data to life, revealing just how small and precious Earth’s available water truly is.
A 33-foot-diameter stainless steel ring represents the planet at a scale of 1 inch = 20 miles, while the width of the ring symbolizes the thin layer of atmosphere surrounding Earth. Within it, a 7-foot-wide, 12-inch-deep pond embodies the total volume of water on the planet, which is a strikingly small proportion when seen in context.
We tend to think of water as abundant because oceans dominate our maps and horizons. Yet water is mostly a surface phenomenon, skimming the planet’s surface and barely penetrating its mass. H2Oh! translates this scientific reality into an elegant and visceral experience, reminding viewers of the delicate balance that sustains life.
Bernheim congratulates Studio MAYO Architects for creating such a beautiful and thought-provoking work that embodies our mission to connect people with nature. What better role for architecture than to awaken awareness of our shared planet and the resources that sustain us?
