Sustainable Public Toilet Competition
The water is supplied in the 4 fiberglass tanks of 4’x6’. The taps around the lowest tank serve water for wuzu and filling the 1.5 recycled branded cola bottles. The recycled disposable cola bottles are stacked around the tank up to 7 foot height. The bottle can be filled with water after paying the fee to the caretaker (this can go toward the salary of the staff and the maintenance). The water draining anywhere on site goes into the recycling process.
In response to THINKING OF TOMORROW, one cannot take the presence of running water for granted and water just literally going down the drain. The design re-invents the flush and proposes continuously running grey water, constantly recycling, while the septic tank collects the sludge and treated water flows back into the loop. The treated clean water may eventually replace the fresh water trunk tank if we continue our wasteful lifestyles.
Thinking of tomorrow, the facility does not rely on electricity. Rechargeable solar lanterns to light each facility and one for the officer on duty. The biogas produced from the treatment chamber can also be used for general lighting (LED). The freshwater supplied by tankers does not require pumping as it can be filled from a height. If piped water is available on site, a solar pump can be used. The drain under the wuzu area allow that water to go into after use.
Thinking of tomorrow, the design aims at educating today’s generation in the four ‘R’s, Re-use, Recycle, Reduce, Re-think. Re-using branded panaflex and plastic bottles makes the project feasible financially as it can then be sponsored. It is educational for brands too as it questions their corporate social responsibility. Similarly, the rethinking of the Umbrella as a TREE, allows gaps that welcome the rainwater, as this enters the drainage plan and collects in the surrounding aeration channel.
The cost is primarily for the bamboo framework and fibre-glass tanks. If the government is involved then the land may be allocated in public parks. The construction time is reduced by bracing the tree like structure to the trunk like tank tower. The manpower required for maintenance is two duty officers on 8 hour shifts. They will be mopping the plinths and washing bottles for recycling. Charging and keeping accounts where the facility is not sponsored or where the water has to be purchased from tankers. The most amount will be spent on the underground system of recycling the most precious resource – WATER – Save water, it is life.
The toilet was designed in response to three key factors
Being human Living here today Thinking of tomorrow
The first factor led to the size and shape of the toilet space (The Kinetic Shell) and customised toilet fixtures. The organic form followed function. The inclusion of squatting pots and private space (within a public) is a direct response to living in this part of the world. Going back to basics is also in response to our mistakes today that make our lifestyle unsustainable. The idea of limiting the amount of fresh water to communal wuzu taps and 1.5 litre per user for toilets, and making the shells out of Recycled Panaflex Hoarding boards responds to living here today. Thinking of tomorrow and re-suing/recycling our wasteful generation’s non-biodegradable waste. The fixture was basic and almost entirely built in. the material is cement, rammed earth and metal framework.