Chic cistern recycles water

Designer toilet epitomises eco-chic with built-in water recycling.

It is not often that a toilet can be described as sleek and stylish, yet Roca’s new all-in-one washbasin and toilet wouldn’t look out of place in a chic hotel. Designed by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti for Roca, the W+W (‘Washbasin and Watercloset’) filters water directly from the basin and uses it to fill the toilet cistern.

An estimated two billion litres of fresh water are flushed down the toilet in UK homes every day. Previous water-efficient designs include the unappealing ‘Save a flush bag’ for the toilet cistern, and the dual flush system, which uses four to six litres of water per flush. By contrast, the elegant, self-contained design of the W+W can cut household water use by up to 25%.

Water management is no longer a stranger to cutting-edge design. Discussions of the emerging global water crisis at the 2007 World Economic Forum in Davos led to the launch of the Aspen Design Challenge, ‘Designing Water’s Future’. Among the 2009 finalists were a sonic sensor water meter which tracks use without touching the pipes, and an interactive water mapping platform for your local area. – Lottie Butler

5 February 2010

Lottie Butler