According to a UNICEF report in 2019, a third of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water.
But Henry Glogau believes he has found a cheap and easy to use solution. The architecture student has developed a “skylight” which produces drinking water alongside light.
Glogau passed on his knowledge to local people in Chile so they can build their own skylights using materials local to them, like old plastic bottles.
The Solar Desalination Skylight works employs heat from the sun to evaporate seawater. Throughout the day, seawater trickles through a pipe into the bowl-shaped skylight. The salt and pollutants are removed and clean drinking water is extracted through a tap at the Skylight base. The leftover salt brine creates ‘seawater batteries’ which then power the light at night
Henry’s design was inspired by a trip to shanty-towns in Chile, “What was fundamental for my design was establishing a relationship with the local NGO,” he says. “They provided a lot of research, but also knowledge into life within these informal settlements.”
Henry learnt from local NGO ‘Techo’ that every day in Chile 10 families move to shanty-towns because they can’t afford formal housing. Alongside this, all utilities are privatised in the country, so water prices are the highest in Latin America.
Henry taught some of the low-income families how to make their own improvised skylights to help them have access to free and safe water.
The Solar Desalination Skylight is a finalist for the Lexus Design Award 2021, a competition which is committed to empowering humans to make good things for the future of humanity and the planet. Projects that are finalised and awarded are chosen for their positive impact on human society.
“I’m wanting to, as a designer, continue to develop my skills and think about how we can address some of these global challenges in the future. And think about how we can start to work with our ecosystem in our environments.”
