British Council, the UK’s international arm for cultural relations, has launched Loo Café x Water Loop, a water sustainability project that aims to create environmental consciousness at the Hyderabad Design Week. Through innovation in design, it will inspire conversations around critical issues of sustainable sanitation and nature-based systems, and how traditional practices can bring a fresh perspective into contemporary approaches. The project has the two primary strands – Ancient Design Futures and Loo Café x Water Loop.
The Loo Café x Water Loop prototype was showcased at the Hyderabad Design Week in partnership with GHMC, Govt of Telangana. The event was graced by the presence of Harichandana Dasari, IAS, Additional Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department and Information Technology, Govt of Telangana along with Janaka Pushpanathan, Director- South India, British Council and Jonathan Kennedy, Director Arts – India, British Council.
Speaking at the launch, Sri Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department and Information Technology, Govt of Telangana said, “Hyderabad is emerging as one of the leading design hubs of India. We are delighted that the Loo Café x Water Loop project is being launched in India at the inaugural edition of the Hyderabad Design Week in partnership with British Council. We hope to create much-required awareness around sustainable water practices by bringing together experts from India and the UK and look forward to combat climate change together.”
Janaka Pushpanathan, Director South India, British Council said, “Water Scarcity currently affects 40 percent of the world’s population and dwindling water supply is a major problem across continents. In order to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring access to water and sanitation for all, not only protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems is vital but it is important to create a dialogue around sustainability. India’s rich and ancient culture of water management is an inspiration to help shape a sustainable future. With an aim to strengthen cultural and social development through innovation in the creative sector between India and the UK, the British Council is pleased to partner with the Government of Telangana and participate in Hyderabad Design Week. At this event, in partnership with leading UK design studio Jane Withers Studio, we will co-create some of the key initiatives that will address the role of design in sustainability and water practices, inspiring communities and creating awareness on the subject.”
Loo Café x Water Loop is an initiative to create a new model for public toilets in Hyderabad that will provide free public toilets maintained by revenue from the café. It is a collaboration between Jane Withers Studio, Anupama Kundoo Architects and Ixora Corporate Services, commissioned by the British Council and supported by Telangana Government. The concept showcases sustainable practices by making them a visible, engaging and interactive part of the building’s design, creating awareness on ways to combat climate change and increasing water stress. The low-cost modular structure can be adapted for different sites. A pilot Loo Café x Water Loop will be built in Hyderabad in Spring 2020.
Alongside the exhibit at Hyderabad Design Week on 11-12 October 2019, British Council also hosted a panel discussion ‘Loo Café x Water Loop, designing the future of public toilets’. Moderated by Parvinder Marwaha, Design Programme Manager, British Council, the panel included curator Jane Withers, Abhishek Nath, creator of the original Loo Café concept, and Kalpana Ramesh, an interior designer and local water activist. Panellists had an insightful discussion on the diverse collaboration to create this novel model of ecological sanitation.
The project also showcased Ancient Design Futures film & water station at the Hyderabad Design Week. Ancient Design Futures film is a living archive of design stories showing how traditional technologies, materials, and practices are inspiring contemporary designers to shape a new environmental consciousness. The first film in the series, it has been conceptualized by Jane Withers Studio and filmed by The Standard Images Co., commissioned by the British Council.
The Ancient Design Futures water station is proposed as an alternative to the office water cooler, encouraging visitors to pause and sip cool water served in traditional style from a beautiful terracotta vessel. It promoted refreshing filtered water and reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bottled water. It showcased how pioneering contemporary practitioners such as Delhi-based Ant Studio are experimenting with terracotta, which is a versatile and low-cost material and exploring environmental applications for its natural evaporative cooling properties.
