On a small strip of land between the Emscher River and the Rhine Herne Canal in Germany sits a rest stop whose colorful appearance belies its radical purpose. The structure’s artful design consists of pipes leading from two toilets and the Emscher (the most polluted river in Germany) that converge at a small community garden and drinking fountain. The garden is, in fact, a manmade wetland that collects, treats, and cleans the effluence from the toilets and river—making it drinkable.
Architects: Marjetica Potrc and Eva Pfannes & Sylvain Hartenberg, Ooze (Paris & Rotterdam) Location: Sturmshfo, Essen-Altenessen, ‘Emscherinsel’ at the previous ‘Mathias Stinnes Hafen’, Germany Team: Florian de Visser, Shilesh Hariharan Areas: 1000 m2 Budget: 200,000 EUR For the event: Emscherkunst.2010 Use: Art installation: Autonomous water treatment Client: Emschergenossenschaft Design Period: 8 months system & community gardens Construction Period: 2 months Completion Construction: May 2010 Photos: Roman Mensing, Ooze, Florian de Visser
