Nicole Moyo's sustainable waste-to-energy infrastructure Ukubutha can be constructed by slum communities to enable them to live self-sufficiently.
Presented at this year's Design Indaba, Ukubutha is a concept system of dome-shaped huts that collect biogas from human waste to turn into energy, and fertiliser for community gardens.
South African urban designer Moyo developed the system to empower low-income communities to create their own energy and waste systems, and provide them with ownership of the infrastructure that they can maintain themselves.
Ukubutha is a concept waste-to-energy infrastructure designed for informal settlements
"Ukubutha is a response to an international crisis, today more people have access to a mobile phone than they do to basic sanitation services," Moyo explained at the conference. "The project is a reaction to a truth, which is our cities are growing at a very rapid rate and we need to rethink service delivery, especially in communities that have limited access to municipal resources."
Ukubutha was initially designed by Moyo for an informal settlement in South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria, but she hopes it will be adapted for use wherever required.
The design takes the form of a series of huts, which are positioned in open areas along main streets for ease of access.
It comprises a system of dome-shaped huts that collect biogas and fertiliser from human waste
Inside, they house toilets and anaerobic digesters ...