TOTEM: Tower of Tesellated Emergency Modules

TOTEM is a low-cost modular infrastructure that purifies polluted water by distillation using pyrolysis of biomass as the energy source.

Long Description

Humanitarian crises are on the rise and will continue to worsen due to the climatic changes we are experiencing world-wide. Accessibility to fresh water is one of the main issues to be addressed, particularly during the first 72 hours after a disaster.
The goal of this study is the design of a water purification module to effectively cope with the most basic of human needs in the shortest possible time span. The Hagadera refugee camp, part of the Dadaab complex in Kenia, was chosen for the implementation of this proposal.
TOTEM (Tower Of Tessellated Emergency Modules) is a low-cost modular infrastructure that purifies polluted water by distillation using pyrolysis of biomass as the energy source. It is a preventive system that allows to mitigate the damages of a catastrophe quickly and to keep those affected alive until international aid reaches the site.
A proposal relationship was sought with ideas such as the infinite cycle of water, its meaning within societies and its formal representation within aboriginal civilizations. With all this, TOTEM emerges as the best option chosen within this research, which manages to effectively address all the requirements stipulated in the project.