U(Re) bases itself in Ethiopia where an estimate of only 42% of the population have access to clean water supply. As of 2023, statistics read that an estimate 24 million people live in drought affected areas, made worse by the lack of seasonal rain Ethiopia receives. This change of rain patterns and climate uncertainty has worsened desertification in the area, affecting food security, health and diseases and an overall decrease in drinking water reserves due to depleting resources. This accessibility of water is compounded by its contamination, leading to health issues and hardships for communities, especially women and children who bear the burden of water collection.
The Design Intervention
U(Re) is a public restroom ecosystem, designed to collect filtered, drinkable water in areas with extremely low water availability. Rooted in community participation, U(Re) utilized one of the only reliable sources of water in the area: Humans, and more specifically: urine. This is an add-on to the existing Ecosan Toilet that separates urine from solid waste. A series of U(Re) cones, connected to one another acts as the solar powered water collector that helps aid the evaporation of urine to create drinking water.
In accordance with Biomimicry 3.8, U(re) abstracts the emperor penguin's huddling strategy for the exchange and sharing of body heat in extreme cold climates, into a design principle:
"Self organization of elements through coordination facilitates energy distribution, maximizing adaptability to environmental changes." This strategy celebrates the use of a shared resource in a well organized system by creation of clean water access for everyone.
The U(Re) cone, made of black UV resistant polycarbonate, helps absorb heat faster for efficient evaporation. This is further enhanced by the lesser distance between the top of the cone and the reservoir base. As urine enters the cone, the sun heats it up to the point of evaporation and water droplets trickle down the lids of the conical surface. After this, the condensed water makes itself down into a bio-sand filter for an additional layer of purification. This can be accessed through a drinking water outlet for the community where this system is set up. The cones are also designed to remove what remains from the evaporation process: the phosphorus which provides an important source of agricultural fertilizer.
By creating a point of access for everyone in the community, U(Re) is an ecosystem solution that works on the principle of long-term community collaboration.
Impact
U(Re) reimagines water scarcity as a collective design challenge by transforming a shared, overlooked resource into one of clean, accessible drinking water. Rooted in biomimetic principles, U(Re) demonstrates how self-organization and coordinated systems can distribute energy efficiently and adapt to the extremeities of climate change. By integrating with existing Ecosan toilets, U(Re) recovers valuable nutrients for both water and livelihood through agriculture.
Beyond its technical function, U(Re) positions sanitation infrastructure as a catalyst for dignity, equity and long-term resilience. Designed as a shared system rather than an individual product, it fosters collective responsibility and collaboration, ensuring water access is not dependent on unreliable systems, extraction or external supply chains. U(Re) illustrates how biomimicry-informed design can enable regenerative, community-led solutions that respond to environmental scarcity while simultaneously strengthening social systems.