2017 / Sustainable Living/environmental Preservation
/ Residential Sustainable Design
/ Student
Sift
Sift filter molds allow people in developing
countries to use local resources to create their
own water filtration systems. The filters
themselves are vessels created
from a mix of sawdust and clay; a combination
that creates a semi-porous solid wall filter
when fired. The molds for these vessels would
be sent to potters and artisans in villages in
developing areas, allowing them to create their
own filters and sell them amongst their wares.
This concept, when paired with vessel designs
that are intuitive and understandable, would
allow sift to help the 783 million people around
the world without access to clean water. The
design of the molds and the resulting filters
had to be clean, simple, and understandable.
Villagers and townspeople in developing areas
could not immediately see the solution, they
would abandon the concept in lieu of other
means. To solve the issue, I designed the mold
to be asintuitive aspossible. To discover the
correct mix of sawdust and clay, the potter
would flip the mold over to see two recessed
measuring cups of different sizes that would
allow them to make consistently high quality
filters. The filters themselves contain design
cues from south asian culinary design. I
combined modern curves with imitations of
their traditional ceramics; this would provide a
semblance of familiarity to the design. Even the
methods that the filters use to clean the water
are reminiscent of existing kitchenware. The
pour in filter works in a way very similar to
conventional kettles and water boiling vessels
located in these homes, while the drop-in filter
follows the same conventions that they already
use to transport their water.
Photo Credit: Savannah College Of Art And Design
