Issue 62

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CREATING EXPERIENCES THAT YOUR GUESTS WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER. armadilla.co.uk sales@armadilla.co.uk +44 (0)131 440 4000 Photo credit: Marshall Meadows Glamping Pods | Tiny Houses | Mobile Cabins We craft beautiful spaces, providing a tailored service from initial design ideas to project completion. www.bespokehideouts.com hello@bespokehideouts.com instagram: bespokehideouts 07703387322 24 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM
FUNCTION VENUES SUPPLIER PROFILE NatSol We learn more about Natsol. With over 750 waterless toilet installations it is considered the remote toilet specialist What does Natsol do? NatSol was incorporated in October 2005 after Nick Grant and Andy Warren decided to pool their knowledge and experience of composting and waterless toilets. By that time they already had 25 years combined experience and knew a lot about what doesn’t work! Both had been employed in different ways at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Mid Wales. The name NatSol came from Andy’s sole trader name Natural Solutions which had provided him with an umbrella for a range of ecological design initiatives. What makes Natsol so good at what it does? It was decided at the outset to set high standards both in terms of function and quality of manufacture. We were keen to break down the assumption that composting toilets must necessarily be very homespun, unpleasant to manage, difficult to clean, and almost certainly smelly. Creating toilets which you would be happy to ask your mother-in-law to use was the goal. Describe your brand proposition Andy had already devised and tested a new way to separate urine in toilet pedestals and this approach, based on the Coandã effect, has become central to the functioning of our composting toilets. Nick had valuable experience in designing robust products utilising appropriate materials for mass production, and of sustainable water management. The company has always found ways to further improve and refine its products. The original GRP toilet pedestal was replaced in 2013 with a sleek stainless steel one and there is now a removeable urine plate which facilitates cleaning. What is your ‘hero’ product? In 2013 we were approached by consultants in London to design a system suitable for use in the Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park. This system, called the Zero Discharge toilet, is a non-urine separating, noncomposting pump out toilet with excellent odour control and is now a standard line in the product range. It comes in two models; the ZD1 for use in large facilities such national parks, and the ZD2, a stand alone toilet for use where composting toilets are not considered suitable. The National Trust now has two large installations of ZD1 toilets, one in the Lake District and one in Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons). There is also an installation on the Falkland Islands, the company’s furthest flung toilets! Much more recently NatSol took over the sale of AirFlush urinals from the Green Building Store. These urinals are waterless but do not use chemical blocks to disguise odour. This product was originally designed by Nick Grant and Mark Moodie when they worked together in the consultancy Elemental Solutions. What are you most proud of? It has to be the Full Access Composter (FAC). This is a wheelchair accessible composting toilet which can be managed without the need for any vehicle visits after installation unless the compost is to be removed off site. It has become the favourite of allotment associations around the country, many other organic food growing projects, rural churches, glamping sites, wildlife reserves, and some water companies which have chosen it for sites for fishermen. There are around 1,000 FACs in the UK. Reliable dry toilets which can take many uses before they need to be emptied of compost (or pumped out) can help to address water shortages in some parts of the country. They also have no freezing risk. Any extra special people? NatSol’s customer service Is second to none. We always support any customer who has issues with their toilet even years after it was supplied. Every working toilet is a good advert for us and for the technology. There is also a feel-good factor in providing high quality support. Nick is no longer a director as he has a busy PassivHaus design consultancy but he remains on the team for technical advice. Andy is also a qualified psychotherapist with a part time private practice. Ellen Hughes, a director and the general manager, holds everything together. Most manufacturing is done by other companies: BCM GRC for the glass reinforced concrete products, and two local companies for the timber and metal cabins which are supplied with many of the FAC and ZD2 toilets. Why should a customer get in touch? We are happy to talk at length to enquirers without obligation and never recommend a product of ours unless we believe it to be a good solution for the site in question. DETAILS Natsol 01686 412653 info@natsol.co.uk www.natsol.co.uk WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 25
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