Project Rain
Can every drop of rain be used twice?
Treat rain falling on a building as a resource with a second use, not a drainage problem.
QuestionThe problem
Rain lands on a roof, is sent to a drain, and drinking water is then pumped, treated and used to flush a toilet or water a lawn. The same country floods and runs short in the same year.
What we built
Treat rain falling on a building as a resource with a second use, not a drainage problem.
Where it is now
Concept — sizing the honest saving for a typical UK house before designing anything.
Research questions
- Can every drop of rain be used twice?
Future concepts
Research only. These are not existing features.
Who it's for
Components
Research question
“Can every drop of rain be used twice?”
Why this matters
Rain lands on a roof, is sent to a drain, and drinking water is then pumped, treated and used to flush a toilet or water a lawn. The same country floods and runs short in the same year.
Current progress
Concept — sizing the honest saving for a typical UK house before designing anything.
Workflow
Question
Can every drop of rain be used twice?
How it could work
Problem
Rain is a nuisance in one hour and a shortage three months later.
Current world
Roof to gutter to drain. A water butt if someone remembers.
Quinn Labs idea
Storage that knows the forecast, and reuse matched to what the water is actually good enough for.
Potential future
Streets that hold their own rain and release it on purpose.
Research board
The honest number
How much drinking water does a UK household actually displace with capture? Publish it even if it is small.
Empty before the storm
A full tank is useless for flood buffering. Storage is only smart if it knows what is coming.
Open questions
Who benefits?
The householder pays. The water company avoids the flood. Who should fund the tank?
Future possibilities
Research directions only. None of these exist, and some never will.
Questions we're asking
- Can every drop of rain be used twice?
- Smart tanks that empty ahead of a storm and fill behind it
- Greywater reuse designed for retrofit, not new build
- Green roofs that buffer flow rather than just look green
Potential collaborators
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Similar problem in your business?
Tell us what you're trying to solve. We'll say whether it's worth building.
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