Conceptualized as a cultural study, the Eco Toilet turned into a full fledge project. I am currently working to build a prototype. It was designed keeping in mind the people in various natural calamities, refugee camps and in rural areas and to provide them with a clean, portable sanitation solution. Incredibly interesting, the design brought in many challenges.

Mainly i researched a lot of users in rural areas, calamity struck situations, and also refugee camps. Most importantly the main problems were that any sanitation provided were all either causing landfills or were completely permanent. Also i used a lot of inspiration from the works of shigeru ban and natural que’s to come up with a completely bio degradable solution made out of hard cardboard.

I was very intrigued with the beehive structure and was thinking of starting with some modular iterations with that. I also thought that since the packaging could be easily evolved if it was a hexagon which could be packed flat and the interiors could be set up later. I also thought about waste disposal and also various ways to sanitarily dispose of solid and liquid waste.

The design took more form and i finally ended up with a two piece cardboard structure that would be combined with a water proof fabric when stretched would provide the room and also the strength to keep it taunt against rain and wind. I also thought of modular pods that could take the waste away and so it would eliminate any sanitary issues as the waste would be in paper bags, but the issue of odor and germs still remained.

I also wanted to do more research on the portability factor to see if it was the right direction. So finding out the right reasons and scientific data provided me with greater insights to come up with a feasible solution. I also found out about a powder substance which when comes in contact with solid or liquid waste turns into odorless blue crystals and are bio degradable.

The eco toilet is packaged as a closed structure, and can be expanded to be used. The fabric is a weather proof tarpaulin and comes with a zipper similar to a tent. The fabric can be removed to be washed and sanitized periodically. The base comes in a different package and is mounted between the two panels. The toilet seat is also mounted in the base and can be taken out to clean and wash. The toilet seat is made out of a biodegradable resin. The side panels provide light and also fresh air when the weather is forgiving.

I also analyzed the optimal seating angle and designed it to be abiding to the cultural setting of the place its deployed. The toilet itself has a unique 10 degree angle for sitting comfortably even when squatting. The above graphic shows an overview of the entire features of the toilet and its usage.

The toilet base and seat are roto molded resin and also serve dual purposes. The seat is shaped to slope down at a 10 degree angle to provide for the cultural squatting posture but at the same time provide a seating position as well so that the knee muscles are not strained. It also has two pads on the side for the feet so as to get the right posture. Using human factors design principles and also ergonomic data tables, it was easy for me to design for the 95 percentile.

The toilet can be airdropped to affected areas or shipped by water or road. The unique packaging allows for easier stacking and also for durability. The outside is made of Richlite® cardboard which are completely weather proof and are made to withstand harsh weather conditions. Once the package is received, the pods are unpacked and the wooden legs are buried in the ground for support. A hole is dug for waste disposal and the base platform is placed on it with the toilet. The outer package is then expanded and installed over the base. To use it, use the paper bags on the wall which are filled with the special decomposing powder. The bags are uniquely designed to fit the toilet and are laid out on the toilet. The bag drops down over the dug hole after use as the waste crystalizes in the bag and is completely biodegradable.

The interior shows a mirror and also the paper bags in the holder. The top rods are foldable and join with the other two from the other panel. The rods are present to provide dexterity and prevent the fabric from slacking down in case of rain and rain water collecting on the top. They keep the fabric taunt so that water is runs off on the sides.

The above graphic shows the expanded and collapsed version of the toilet with the pods attached .

Finally i put all the concepts together and did a minute feasibility study to see which one was more relevant to the goals i had set earlier. Once that was established i wanted to see if certain parameters would let me build this concept and hence i worked with a lot of paper models.