Docklands to enhance water saving

The Docklands precinct is to be the subject of a brave initiative for the purpose of enhancing water saving, management and reticulation.

Each and every apartment building is to have installed systems of pipes to and from each water collection facility, leading to a distribution nucleus on the ground floor and, hence, eventually to the common vegetable garden composting rotating tanks.

The program will automatically centralise the confluence of waters from different sources – mains supply (white water), rainwater/roof runoff (orange water), irrigation runoff from balcony garden beds (green water), atmospheric water harvesting air conditioning condensation collection (blue water), and dew collection water from fog by large micro fibre-netting at window frames (purple water).  Washing water will be collected and returned for use straight to the toilet by a siphoning tube from the bath (red water).

The individualised waters will be separated into their characteristic utility and applied to pipes to be sent to and from via tubing of varying calibre.

Accordingly, the apartments will have the capacity to choose waters for drinking and ice making, water for washing the person, water for washing vegetables, water for general cleaning and for the toilet.  As an example, spilled or splashed drinking water or melting ice collected in a sink will be piped to the nucleus, where it is re-nitrogenised and filtered by reverse osmosis to be stored and returned for washing in the bathroom.  

Further, one quarter of each balcony is to be devoted to a worm farm for table scrap decomposition – the green water to be delivered to the vegetable garden each month.

For one year, residents will be assisted to get used to the new water system.  After all, confusion amongst the faucets may lead to discomfort.  It has been resolved that the piping will be differentiated by the use of bold and bright coloured polyethylene tubes.  Because the piping regime will be fitted to the external surface of the buildings, it is desired that the visual impact should be ameliorated by artistic influence, and, rather than resorting to camouflage, the fittings will emphasise and celebrate their functional features, much as the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

The outside of the buildings are expected to look resplendent and will appear to writhe in multi-coloured piping as it climbs and branches to and from each balcony like the tendrils of a giant Mondrian-inspired jungle creeper.