Project Name: Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin
Project Type:
industrial/product design
Project Mission/Goal:
Respond to our growing need for clean water
Project Description:
Eric Olsen describes this project as "individual servings of infrastructure." The pleated tarpaulin is constructed from clear laser-cut LDPE and reflective rubberized nylon. It can hold up to 20 liters of water and can be rolled into a bundle or worn as a shawl-like kanga for carrying. It can be laid across a rooftop, spread on the ground, or hung vertically to allow passive solar heat and ultraviolet radiation to disinfect the water (a World Health Organization–approved purification method that takes only five hours). The tarpaulin is designed for use in a wide variety of settings—from urban disaster sites to remote villages in the Third World. “You can imagine that in post-Katrina New Orleans something like this would have been useful as an alternative to the energy required to transport clean water to some other site,” Olsen says. “It’s really applicable anywhere there isn’t a functioning water infrastructure. Whatever your situation is, ideally it can be incorporated into it.”
Links and Captions:
http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20080522/2008-next-generation-winner-...
superficialstudio.com
Project Details:
Location: applicable throughout the world, easy to transport
Concept/Lead Architect(s)/Designer(s): Eric Olsen
Project Architect(s): Eric Olsen
Year (s): xx to xx
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Nominated by Elizabeth Cohn-Martin
