Portable Solar Distiller

A low-tech, portable, adaptable and scalable design that merges local resources with community architecture to provide freshwater and a shaded gathering place. Portable Solar Distiller is an autonomous, sustainable system that works with the eco-system rather than against it. It enables communities that are disconnected from formal systems to produce fresh water using a passive, low-tech system. A multifunctional architectural design, it generates as a freshwater source and a shaded gathering place, becoming an integrated part of the community’s everyday living environment. The low-tech, decentralised solution uses sunlight to distil polluted and sea water while also providing a rainwater capture system. An open source and distributed design approach guides communities in building their own system while encouraging them to hack and adapt the design to best suit their needs using local knowledge, available materials, and construction techniques. Through collaboration with a Chilean NGO called TECHO, the design was introduced to Neuva Esperanza, a local informal settlement community in Mejillones, Chile, who also became an integral part of the design process.

 Red Dot Award: Design Concept | Concept | Sustainability