CASE STUDIES Return to list of case-studies Visitor Toilets - Water-efficient WCs provide a practical solution for the National Trust National Trust Properties Chartwell House, Kent New toilet block - 12 Ifö Cera ES4s The Vyne, Hampshire New toilet block - 8 Ifö Cera ES4s Hatfield Forest Visitor Centre, Essex Toilet block - 11 Ifö Cera ES4s, 3 Ifö Cera Universals Thousands of visitors flock to National Trust sites and properties every year and most of them will want to visit the toilet when they are there. Tamzin Phillips, Environmental Practices Adviser for the National Trust, has the job of ensuring that properties' facilities can cope with the many demands put on them. One of the problems is that many NT properties are either on a private water supply or have their own sewage treatment facilities, which can make it hard to meet the demands placed upon them by the sheer volume of visitors. Water-efficiency is therefore of tantamount importance, which is why, for the last few years, Tamzin has been recommending the specification of low water-use WCs at a number of NT properties. In particular, the Ifö Cera ES4 and Ifö Cera Universal water-efficient WCs (developed by water conservation specialists Elemental Solutions and now supplied by Green Building Store) have been specified for toilet blocks at NT properties including Chartwell House in Kent, The Vyne in Hampshire and Hatfield Forest Visitor Centre in Essex. The Ifö Cera ES4's ultra-low flush volume of 4.5 litres offers massive savings over conventional WCs and puts considerably less strain on NT private water supplies or sewage systems, such as cesspits, septic tanks and reed beds. The low water use can also be invaluable in situations where there is low water pressure and where conventional WCs are slow to refill. Tamzin has been impressed with the water savings offered by the Ifö Cera WCs. Indeed, they have both been recommended in the Best Practice Guide for Visitor Toilets that Tamzin has developed for NT properties. She says that one of the advantages for specifiers of the Ifö Cera ES4 range is their conventional appearance - they do not appear particularly eco and so those using them are unaware of their being at all different. She thinks that ultra-efficient WCs like the Ifö Cera ES4 should become the norm in places with large visitor turnaround, such as motorway service stations. Others must agree with this, the toilet block at Chartwell House received a British Toilet Association 'Loo of the Year' award in 1998. Specifier: Tamzin Phillips, Environmental Practices Adviser, National Trust Supplier: Green Building Store, Tel: 01484 461705, www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk Consultants: Elemental Solutions, Tel: 01981 540728, www.elementalsolutions.co.uk