Architecture studio Spark has developed a concept for an easily transportable 3D-printed toilet that could convert human waste into electricity.
The module is designed for use in India where the UN is trying to tackle the severe hygiene and sanitation issues associated with open defecation.
Called the Big Arse toilet, it would be 3D-printed from readily available bamboo fibres mixed with bio-polymer resin.
The toilet module would be anchored to a 3D printed reinterpretation of a traditional biogas dome that is buried below ground. The dome, which is sized to function for 10 years, uses human, animal and vegetable waste to generate and store gas.
The toilets could be delivered to remote Indian villagesThe biogas produced in the dome would fuel a micro combined heat and power (CHP) unit to create electricity. The 3D printed shell and its associated dome would be light weight enough to be flown to remote locations by drone and assembled on site.
"There is a worldwide shortage of safe, hygienic sanitation especially in countries such as India and Africa where open defecation is a major contributing cause of disease," Spark told Dezeen. "The UN and Indian government initiatives are trying to tackle the problem."
The toilet would be made from 3D-printed elements"The Big Arse toilet reinterprets the use and organisation of traditional bio-gas domes to create electricity and gas for those communities that have no access to power network...