Microbial Home is a domestic ecosystem that challenges conventional design solutions to energy, cleaning, food preservation, lighting, human waste, and healthy lifestyles. It consists of a larder, bio-digester island, bio-light, and an effluent-filtering squatting toilet.

(Evaporative Cooling) Larder

The larder concept is a system designed to keep ‘living food’ fresh using natural processes (as opposed to the situation of dead food in the refrigerator). The larder consists of an evaporative cooler and vegetable storage system built into a dining table.

The larder revives the ritual of preparing food together around the dining table. At its centre is a twin-walled terracotta evaporative cooler. The compartments and chambers vary in wall thicknesses and volumes, and are designed to keep different types of food at different temperatures.

The outer surface of the cooler is warmed by hot water pipes, which have been pre-heated by the methane digester in the Microbial Home system. Above the table is a ceramic garden and larder where vegetable groups are grown and stored on the basis of their symbiotic chemistry. The table is made from reclaimed wood, and supported by a cast iron structure that consists of water and gas pipes.

This concept shows how, without any recourse to energy-intensive or synthetic chemical technology, we can extend the shelf life of our food. It has an educational effect as it revives forgotten knowledge and techniques of storing and preparing food.

Bio-digester Island

The Bio-digester kitchen island is the central hub in the Microbial Home system. It consists of a methane digester that coverts bathroom waste solids and vegetable trimmings into methane gas. The methane is used to power a series of functions in the home.

The bio-digester hub has been designed as a repositionable kitchen island including: a chopping surface with vegetable waste grinder; a gas cooking range; a glass tank that shows energy reserves and glass elements that show pressure; and an indication of the volume and readiness of compost sludge. Materials used in the design are copper, cast iron, glass, and bamboo.

The gas from the methane digester is fed to a cooking range and gas mantle lights. Water pipes are preheated by the digester and channelled to other components in the Microbial Home system. The digester needs a constant supply of waste material and water. The dehydrated sludge residue from the digester can be safely removed and used as compost.

In the home of the future we will have to rethink our own waste and convert it into a usable asset. This is an environmentally progressive product concept that allows humans to use almost all organic waste from homes, including sewage, paper, and kitchen scraps, to feed a methane digester to power a range of functions in the home. It challenges our taboos and raises our consciousness of energy-consuming appliances.

Bio-light

The bio-light uses different biological technologies to create ambient light effects. The concept explores the use of bioluminescent bacteria, which are fed with methane and composted material (drawn from the methane digester in the Microbial Home system).
Alternatively the cellular light array can be filled with fluorescent proteins that emit different frequencies of light.

This concept has been created using a technique where individual cells are hand-blown into a steel frame, which is freestanding or hung on the wall. Each cell is connected via silicon tubes to the food source (which is drawn from a reservoir at the base) creating a closed loop system for the living material.

This represents a new genre of ‘living’ biological products. Potentially, these products could be self-energising, adaptive, responsive, self-repairing, act as biological sensors to environmental conditions, and change the way we communicate information.

Effluent-filtering Squatting Toilet

This is a waste-separating squatting toilet that filters effluent while channelling excreta to a methane digester in the Microbial Home system.

The squatting toilet incorporates a handrail to support a person (and improve comfort) in the squatting position. The filter array, comprised of charcoal, sand. and ceramic filters, supports a range of plants to clean effluent. The flush mechanism is based on the one-litre flush toilet technique developed by the Sulabh Foundation in India. The concept is sustainable and ecological. It uses no energy, is water saving, and is non polluting.

The system is designed to show the energy value in human waste and raise awareness about wasting water. It provokes discussion and evaluation of toilet taboos and ablution habits. It draws attention to the necessary systemic shift from utility-dependent sanitation systems to regenerative localised solutions that see waste as a necessary part of a domestic eco-system.

There are both health and ergonomic benefits to using the squatting toilet. Evidence shows that there are significantly fewer cases of colorectal cancers in communities that squat as opposed to those using sitting toilets. Squatting ensures a natural position for the human bowel movement and minimises the need for toilet tissue, which can have a detrimental health effect.