The Bathroom Reinvented
Video
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The Bathroom Reinvented: Hyphae
Ecologist Brent Bucknum, principal of Hyphae Design Lab in Oakland, California, shares the ABC's of re-routing a home's waste water (greywater) to sustainably irrigate gardens and other green…
Articles
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The Bathroom Reinvented
Who says poo is taboo? In the first episode of Dwell's new video series, The Bathroom Reinvented, Virginia Gardiner makes a case for talking candidly about the can, explaining the designer's role…
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101 Bathrooms
Contemplating the proverbial "throne" the world over, Virginia Gardiner wonders why modernism hasn't caught on the to the john. Also bathroom swag on parade.
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Waste Opportunity
While the Western world forgets its waste with a flush, 2.6 billion people don’t even have toilets. Virginia Gardiner ventures to the World Toilet Summit in search of sanitation’s…
Tips
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Maximize Space in a Tiny Bathroom
We have remodeled a tiny half bath under the stairs. To make the most of what little space we have we decided to use the stud spaces for as much storage as possible. A recessed medicine cabinet…
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Soapstone as a Bathroom Surface
I chose soapstone for the countertops and the walls due to its aesthetic similarity to concrete, and its porous nature.
Products
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Clivus Multrum Foam-Flush Toilet
Vitreous china bowl and water tank / Push-button flush / 3 ounces per flush
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Sancor Envirolet VF 700 Composting Toilet
Vitreous china bowl / External composting unit / Vacuum-assisted flush /
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Whole Bathroom Boost Box
The Whole Bathroom Kit from Boost Home can keep an extra $500 and 25,000 gallons of water from going down the drain every year. An entire set can be installed in an afternoon, so there's just no…
Events
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WaterDream: the Art of Bathroom Design
Duravit’s partnership with design powerhouse Philippe Starck has been recognized with accolades and awards across the globe. The latest honor comes close to home, in Atlanta, GA, the location…
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John Margolies: Roadside America
John Margolies: Roadside America brings together approximately 400 color photographs of Main Street signs, storefronts, movie theaters and drive-ins, gas stations, short-order restaurants, motels…
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John Marin: Modernism at Midcentury
John Marin sought Maine as a subject—its islands, mountains, beaches, and rocky shores—from 1917 onward. However, when he landed on Cape Split in 1933, he knew this remote and untamed…
Dwell Collections
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The Bathroom Reinvented
Exploring everything from conceptual ideas about waterless toilets to just what it takes to integrate a greywater system into a residence, Dwell leads the conversation online about the future of…
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A Look at Bathrooms
We combed through our archives to present this pictorial ode to one of the most high-traffic spaces in the house—the bathroom.
Advertising
Related Products
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Clivus Multrum Foam-Flush Toilet
Vitreous china bowl and water tank / Push-button…
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Sancor Envirolet VF 700 Composting Toilet
Vitreous china bowl / External composting unit /…
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Whole Bathroom Boost Box
by Boost HomeThe Whole Bathroom Kit from Boost Home can…
Awesomeness
This was fascinating and fantastic! Thanks.
thats was excellent and educational! not to mention it had a good sound track ;)
ill bet dollars to donuts that those same 2.6 billion people who dont have toilets wont be able to afford biodegradable plastic cartridges either.
It's part of a system that will be provided "to them" much like our "water" system provides sewage for us and a fraction of the cost.
"ill bet dollars to donuts that those same 2.6 billion people who dont have toilets wont be able to afford biodegradable plastic cartridges either." I don't think that's really the point. The point is that *we* should be using a system like this to capture the energy that's being lost in our sh*t currently, and also to cut down on the ocean of drinking-quality water that's being wasted in our current toilet facilities.
How much more efficiently could this be done in a single industrial setting, like say, the city waste treatment plant?
Hi! Congratulations, this is a very interesting proyect!!! I was wondering, some times we do "number 1" and "number 2" at the same time...How would the system work under this conditions? once again, very well thought and also nicely explained. I was blown away by your project.
What do you do with the toilet paper etc.?
What an amazing adventure that was. Thanks for taking the time and energy to really explain and to work on such a vital product! Love it. With our Blue Gold at high risk in many areas of the world http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/ you are really honing in on the most important resource. Congrats.
This is beautiful - what an artist you are!
There will no word of "washing", ha ? Trully brilliant
Please follow up to let us know when this system goes into production. I hope many of dwell's readers would do their part and purchase + spread the word. Hopefully the purchase price will be comparable to buying an average replacement toilet so cost would not be a deterrent. It would then just be a matter of perception of changing habits & beliefs about what we are “used to” using. Of course, the final toilet design would have to be esthetically pleasing, probably somewhat mimicking a traditional toilet design for mass market appeal.
Already commercialized! Have a look at http://www.biolytix.com/detail.php?ID=8 http://www.biolytix.com/detail.php?ID=270 Biolytix is a natural wastewater treatment system. It uses worms & other living organisms to break down waste.
Great idea, but it has already been done. Composting toilets have been on the market for many years for residential use. They use heaters to dehydrate the waste and a stir system that keeps bacterial activity going, the end result is simple humus. The units sell for around $1,000 and can easily be found on the net. This also would never work for the masses of people because they will not be willing to even broach the subject of solid waste and what to do with it. It's an exercise in academics unless you are talking about developing countries.
But composting toilets require electricity to work. It would appear that this one does not, although I couldn't tell exactly what was happening at the site where the methane was reworked. I already have a place for a loo like this -
I don't use toilet paper. I use an electronic bidet that sprays water. I wonder if that would work with this system? True I use water with bidet but save on paper waste.
So basically, she just created a personal sludge/biosolids digester or a personal septic tank... BTW, your poop already provides energy to power plants. Wastewater treatment plants harness the methane gas from digesters. Sludge from the digesters are thickened and further used as feedstock to compost process or land applied for use in non-food chain crops.
This reminds me of the Diaper Champ that I used with my children. It's a nice concept, however in practice is has many shortcomings namely due to the frequency and volume of human feces which far out paces the rate of decomposition by the unit. In a commercial application, two sets of restrooms would be required, one for active use and then one held out of service while natural decomposition took place. The capacity of such units would determine the frequency at which they are rotate for in service use. This still does not deal with the paradigm of cleansing after defecation. As has been written here, where does the toilet paper go or how do you wash your hands afterward. These are MAJOR disease control issues that must be dealt with in order for this concept to be feasible.
It is great -and important to save the water. What a last of water. We have several products in Denmark but your design looks great. What will be the price ? I will build a house next year like this, using no energy with straw bales - and thick walls. http://www.photo-gallery.dk/oversigt/lokaliteter/torup/preview_1of8.html
It is a great idea and concept and like to see a final product to be in everyone home...
As long as we put this in the completely-unrealistic-only-super-doo-gooders-will-use category, and you put her in the art school dreamer who just happens to be good at math category, we'll all be fine.
Brilliant execution. I particularly love the frame (and illustration) of sustainability as a process. Very well done. Cheers to you for caring to make a difference.
This is great. I can't say enough about it. Props to Virgina and her team, as well as Dwell for bringing this idea to light. When we complain about the lack of flying cars and colonizing planets we fail to realize that ideas like the "loowatt" are just as futuristic in their approach to managing centuries old issues like dealing with waste. In reading the comments my only gripe is that someone already shoots the idea down because they assume people "will not be willing to even broach the subject of solid waste". Its this "it'll never work" mentality that holds us all back more than anything else. Thanks Virginia!
This concept deserves to be taken very seriously and further developed. Its ultimate success will depend on the purchase price, operating cost and the practicality of how the processing of those cartridges will be handled - individual household or municipal. I hope Virginia and her team are as good at marketing and attracting powerful investors as they were at designing the beginning stages of this brilliant idea. I can't wait to see how this evolves and becomes an attractive option to the environmentally costly toilets that are the norm today. With exploding populations everywhere we can't afford not to change.
All sorts of people will become interested in this and similar when their town water becomes painfully expensive or their well water becomes contaminated. I like it but would prefer not to put my face right next to it for turning the crank. How about a stem secured on the wall with handle at hip height? onsider the population increase in only your own lifetime, however short or long thus far. We humans cannot wait to conserve water.
Let's put our projects together! I'll take care of the pee. You take care of the poop! PS. I think you are friends with my good friend, Evans.
I up for being a beta tester if she needs some.
Virginia: Además de ser una muchacha tan linda externamente, lo eres también en escencia. El trabajo que has desarrollado, implica una gran observación y un respeto por el entorno, y también una búsqueda por insertarnos como especie dentro de la biodiversidad para devolver a la tierra sus ciclos naturales. Gracias Virginia, por crear este ingenioso y sencillo baño, y se me viene el recuerdo de John Lennon y su acertada canción."Imagine". Thanks Alfredo Silva Villalón
hey! This beautiful..!! you'r great artist..!! thanks :)
Really amazing one..!!
Thanks for this fantastic job to save water. This is actually everyone wants in their homes.
I love it! I'm a teacher and I plan to show it to my 4th Grade class!
Amazing turning poop into a hot commodity! Great to see our industrial designers are thinking outsidet he box.
Probably a topic most don't want to think about, but the science behind it is great!
Where can I buy it??? How much???
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