Restroom and Kitchen Sustainable Design Aspects

Design Aspects Common to Both the Restroom and the Kitchen

• Smart Faucets (Common feature in the Restroom & Kitchen)
• Water Temperature Control: Depending on the region and season, the temperature of the water coming out of the faucet (regardless of its location or use, i.e. the restroom sink, shower, or kitchenette sink), the temperature of the water will range from 37 degrees to 40 degrees. This temperature range has been determined as the optimal water temperature as recommended by dermatologists. If, for any reason, the user needs to lower or increase the temperature of the water, they can easily do so by disengaging the optimal water temperature feature and reactivating it when required.
• Water-Consumption Data Collection: This feature allows for collecting real-time water consumption data. This data will later be shared with the Water Company of the jurisdiction to help allocate water in a more streamlined manner, increasing the efficiency of the water pumping facility.
• Ventilation Sensors (Common feature in the Restroom & Kitchenette)
• Ventilation Efficacy: Sensors mounted strategically around the restroom/kitchenette will be utilized to analyze the air quality in the space under consideration. To reduce the amount of electricity consumed by various ventilation systems in place, once the sensors detect that the air quality in the space has gone below a certain threshold, these ventilating devices will be switched on.

Restroom Design Aspects/Features

The toilet area will be optimally minimized to ensure efficient use of the limited area per unit available. Based on international civil, construction, and architectural standards the size of the restroom will be 30 square feet.

The features of five main experiential dimensions will be considered for the restroom design. Those are the toilet, the facets, the ventilation system, and the mirror.

• Toilet
• Heated seats: Where the toilet seat will be preheated to allow for a comfortable user experience
• Toilet Cover: An automatic setting that seals the toilet shut before it flushes away the waste, preventing any airborne particulates/bacteria from spreading in the vicinity of the user. These could reduce several airborne illnesses.
• Toilet Seat: After being lifted by any user, the toilet seat will automatically be gently lowered after the user is done.
• Bidet: To provide better measures of personal hygiene, users will be prompted to use a water bidet to clean off themselves after they are finished. Shortly after, they could dry themselves off using an air-blower to reduce toilet paper consumption.
• Automatic Cleaning & Disinfection: After each use and when the toilet cover has been lowered, the toilet bowl will be thoroughly cleaned by a silicon brush ring (while a detergent is being ejected) that will scrap down the entire permitter bowl. Furthermore, UV will be turned on for as long as the cover is still on to disinfect the toilet from microscopic pathogens.
• Using Grey/Used Water for Flushing: The flush bowl of the toilet will collect water used for various purposes around the toilet and kitchenette as the flush water to reduce the amount of clean water used for this purpose.
• Human Waste Analyzer: This feature will instantly analyze the urine and stool of the user, providing them (when needed) with a report on their waste-producing organ systems’ health. Further, it will have an LED bulb that will flicker if a health issue requires immediate attention.
• Smart Flush Feature: A sensor will weigh the human waste in the bowl and determine the minimal amount of water needed to flush it. This will help reduce the amount of water being wasted.
• Smart Faucets (Common feature in the Restroom & Kitchen)
• Water Temperature Control: Depending on the region and season, the temperature of the water coming out of the faucet (regardless of its location or use, i.e. the restroom sink, shower, or kitchenette sink), the temperature of the water will range from 37 degrees to 40 degrees. This temperature range has been determined as the optimal water temperature as recommended by dermatologists. If, for any reason, the user needs to lower or increase the temperature of the water, they can easily do so by disengaging the optimal water temperature feature and reactivating it when required.
• Water-Consumption Data Collection: This feature allows for collecting real-time water consumption data. This data will later be shared with the Water Company of the jurisdiction to help allocate water in a more streamlined manner, increasing the efficiency of the water pumping facility.
• Ventilation Sensors (Common feature in the Restroom & Kitchenette)
• Ventilation Efficacy: Sensors mounted strategically around the restroom/kitchenette will be utilized to analyze the air quality in the space under consideration. To reduce the amount of electricity consumed by various ventilation systems in place, once the sensors detect that the air quality in the space has gone below a certain threshold, these ventilating devices will be switched on.
• Personalized Smart Mirrors, Displays, and Audio Systems:
• The mirror would display generic information about the time, prevailing weather conditions, traffic state on the route to one’s destination (i.e. office, mall, etc.), main newspaper headlines, and any notifications one has received during the night would be displayed in the morning. Other information could be displayed, according to the preference of the respective user(s), including the charge level of your electric vehicle, the quality of your sleep, and how your water consumption compares to your neighbors' median and average water usage.
• This mirror would have a Smart Display allowing users to enjoy their favorite YouTube videos or stream their series/movies while enjoying a bath, for instance.
• An audio system connected to state-of-the-art speakers would provide excellent audio quality of the content being watched. It would also have a voice control system connected to one’s virtual assistants (i.e. Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, etc.) for seamless hands-free operation.

Kitchen Design Aspects/Features

• The area of the kitchenette will be optimally minimized to ensure efficient use of the limited area per unit available. Based on international civil, construction, and architectural standards the size of the restroom will be between 50 and 70 square feet.
• The features of four main experiential dimensions will be considered for the Kitchen design. Those are the Smart Appliances, Smart countertops, Intelligent Waste Management/Analysis equipment, and indoor vertical gardens.
• Smart Appliances
• Smart Dishwashing Machine: Where dirty dishes will be weighed, the amount of dirt on each utensil, plate, and cup assessed, and accordingly the needed amount of dishwashing liquid and an economical amount of water ejected. The machine will be fitted with ultraviolet light to kill pathogens and bacteria.
• Smart Refrigerator: Where each food item will have a unique code generated for it. This code will contain information related to the expiration of the food item and the amount of moisture needed to keep it from going. A display on the fridge door will notify the user when certain things are nearing expiration. Further, it will allow the user to keep leafy greens fresher for extended periods of time. The fridge will also collect data on the house occupants' dietary habits and consumption patterns. Such data will later be used to tailor specific meal plans for the house owners to reach certain dietary and body shape goals. The smart display will also suggest recipes based on the fridge's contents.
• Smart Deep Freezer: Will have a display informing the user of the freezer's contents, as sometimes users forget the contents of their freezer and go months on end, not remembering that they had a tub of Ben Jerry’s back there. Further, it will allow users to (remotely) have any of its contents taken out (via a shoot right below the freezer’s container) to thaw at room temperature, an issue many busy mothers struggle with when feeding their families in the evening. This will allow for more nutritious food as melting frozen food using water could potentially spoil the food or, at best, reduce the nutritional value of it.
• A 3-in-1 Laundry-Drying-Folding Machine: Where dirty laundry being loaded will be separated out into different cleaning bins based on the material garment, color, and degree of dirtiness of the garment in question. Later, the clothes will be weighed, and the appropriate amount of water and detergent needed will be ejected into the cleaning chamber. After the cleaning cycle ends, the cloths will be dried in the same chamber, all while ensuring that delicate fabrics are well handled. Finally, when everything has dried off, they will be folded shortly after thanks to the robotic arms seamlessly designed to be tucked in during the cleaning and drying processes. After all three have been done, the folded cloths will be lowered into a basket and made ready for collection. The grey water from the cleaning and drying processes will be recirculated to the toilet flushing bowl.
• Smart Stove Top and Oven: The stove top/oven can be operated remotely. Further, it can provide cooking suggestions for the user depending on ingredients available and any time constraints (running late for a night out with friends, for instance). Further, given the material of the pot, the recipe being considered, and the various contents and amount of water in the pot automatic temperature adjustments will occur. As for the oven, moisture and temperature levels will be monitored around the minute to ensure a satisfactory cooking degree while maintaining the taste of the output.
• Smart Countertops
• Countertop material: They will be made of highly durable, self-cleaning/sanitizing/disinfecting materials.
• On-Demand Wireless Charging: They will include wireless charging points to charge one’s devices with convenience.
• Displays: The entire countertop surface will contain displays allowing users to go through recipes or their favorite YouTube cooking tutorials smoothly as they prepare the meal. Those displays will blend in with the countertop and be scratch, water, and heat resistant when not in use and will be customizable in size and location around the kitchen.
• Smart Weighing Scales: Seamless weighing scales will also be part of the countertop and measuring cups and spoons. Again, the location of the scale itself will be customizable as per the user’s preference. A few gestures will make it pop in and out.
• Intelligent Waste Management/Analysis equipment
• Smart Bins: The trash bins around the kitchen space will sort out the different types of disposals into separate bins. Those will include food scraps, food packaging, and compostable materials.
• Food Scrap Data Analysis: A sensor will analyze and collect data about the food scraps being disposed of. Using that data and those from other housing units will allow for a streamlined composting process to produce batches of fertilizers rich in a given nutrient or set of nutrients needed by various home-grown fruit-bearing plants. Those could later be used to produce high-quality nutrient-dense home-based food produce.
• In-Door Vertical Garden
• Occupants can readily plant and harvest nutrient-rich leafy greens in in-door vertical farms where plants are treated with specific light spectrums and a nutrient-rich water solution promoting fast growth. All of the leafy goods being produced are organic and non-GMO.

Bedroom Sustainable Design Aspects

• Preheated bedding sheets/ mattress: detection of weather outside and room temperature can adjust based on bedding sheet, ex: if hot outside automatic setting will be cooler sheets while if snowing outside automatic setting will be warm sheets
• Air conditioning that allows suction of cold or hot heat to transfer into specific room to save energy, saves energy
• Automatic robotic vacuum cleaners: small smart circular vacuum cleaners that detects a spill or mess, will come out and will clean, mop, and dry floor
• Smart Mattress sensors: Once mattress senses movement of person getting out of bed, everything in house starts to move as well. Ex: blind automatically open, coffee starts setting, bread goes in toaster, etc.
• Smart windows: Window space around bedroom can also transform to other features. This in clouds TV use, lists of jobs to do during day, outline of health, personal/work goals, weather data. Almost an outline of features you see on your phone but on a window in front of us. This automatically turns on once the mattress senses you’re awake.