

disaster relief toilet by rahim bhimani
‘disaster relief toilet’ by rahim bhimani
each year, south africa’s design indaba conference, among creative professionals, invites 7 young emerging designers from across the globe to present their work and experiences through a pecha kucha-style talk. canadian designer rahim bhimani was among them.
an individual who thrives on solving problems, bhimani traveled to lota, chile after the 2010 earthquake, and began examining the sanitation issues which hit the area following the natural disaster. currently, 2.6 billion individuals around the world lack basic sanitation needs and the inhabitants in lota were using chemical toilets, shipping container bathrooms and buckets as their bathroom facilities, options which are either poorly maintained or pose health risks.
as a response, bhimani developed the disaster relief toilet system, as a means of providing sanitary toilet facilities for those in affected regions. the flat pack system aims to make it easy for individuals in disaster stricken areas to assemble and maintain. the pieces slide together and are fastened by 10 slot head screws – hardware that does not require a screwdriver, but instead can be twisted with a butter knife or coin. once assembled, a high-performance degradable bioplastic bag can be attached. each bag can hold 100-150 (has a volumetric capacity of 13 gallons or 45 litres) uses before it needs to be replaced. the interior of the bag is coated with a layer that keeps the odor contained within the bag. to empty the cart, the draw string at the top is pulled shut and the cart is rolled to a nearby hole where it can be dumped.
demonstration of user cycle
the unit assembles easily the components sliding into one another and fastened together by 10 flat head screws
the design is a flat pack system which makes it easy to transport to disaster stricken areas
the toilet system view from the top
privacy tent
model of the disaster relief toilet system
biodegradable bag which offers 100-150 uses before needing to be disposeddescription of project by rahim bhimani
design indaba 2012 (11 articles)
paul sahre: 12 ft cardboard monster truck hearse for they might be giants
urban think tank: grotão fábrica de música
dan pearson studio: tokachi millenium forest
tsai design studio: visserhok container classroom
design indaba 2012: the clockwork forest by greyworld
piet hein eek: the roof minerva harbor, amsterdam
design news
TOP 10 reader submissions of 2019 - social impact
#design
from a migrant community center in thailand to earthquake resistant design in mexico, this year we have been inundated with submissions from our readers.
from a migrant community center in thailand to earthquake resistant design in mexico, this year we have been inundated with submissions from our readers.
enzo mari - a worker among workers - in unreleased video footage from 2008
#design
in our unreleased video footage, enzo mari defines the moral position of our profession to show its limits and dangers as only a great could do, with sublime »
in our unreleased video footage, enzo mari defines the moral position of our profession to show its limits and dangers as only a great could do, with sublime humility.
'puff' the rubber chicken bong squeaks when you smoke it
#design
designed by studio MSCHF, 'puff the squeaky chicken' features a perpetually open mouth and lazily bloodshot eyes.
designed by studio MSCHF, 'puff the squeaky chicken' features a perpetually open mouth and lazily bloodshot eyes.
fondation louis vuitton presents 'charlotte perriand: inventing a new world' in paris
#design
the exhibition pays tribute to the work of the visionary french architect and designer upon the twentieth anniversary of her passing.
the exhibition pays tribute to the work of the visionary french architect and designer upon the twentieth anniversary of her passing.
Hi everyone, I’m currently an MBA in design strategy student in San Francisco, California at CCA and I’m currently seeking a summer internship to apply my industrial design and business skills. Please contact me with any opportunities. Thanks! Please visit http://www.rahimbhimani.com to learn more about me and my other projects. Cheers -Rahim