You might’ve heard about the revamp happening to public loos around the Island and maybe you even went down to the Winter Gardens to see the proposed plans for the esplanade loos last month.
Well, news arrives today that these new ‘super loos’ are going to have to accolade of being the greenest in the UK. Some might argue that many already are, but that would be from the mould rather than their environmentally friendly features.
So just how is this title going to be achieved? Well, according to the Council, the loos, which are going to cost £1million, will feature …
A wind turbine to generate electricity.
A roof made up of drought-resistant plants.
Roof made of photo-voltaic cells that will use the Island’s famous sunshine to create electricity.
A mini-hydro-electric generator.
Using harvested rainwater to flush and clean the toilets.
Energy efficient light fittings.
Low maintenance materials.
Water saving flush devices.
All of the loos have been designed by Island architects Biggs Talbot, with artistic input from mainland artist Rob Turner and Sarah Daniels.
Here’s what the council has in store for Ventnor:
The toilets have been designed to follow the historic arches that are a feature of the Cascade. The toilets will feature recycled ‘stained glass’ glass to provide vibrant lighting inside. It is intended to use the natural Cascade water flow to power a mini hydro-electric power.
The toilets will also incorporate rainwater reservoirs to collect water to be used in flushing the toilets. The ‘living’ roof will also be covered in plants again blending in with the popular surrounding of the Cascade. Ventnor Botanic Garden curator Simon Goodenough will lead the planting project.
I was going to find an appropriate image to use of green toilets, but thought this one from the Netherlands was hilarious. It isn’t a rendition of what the new Island loos are going to be.
