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The Hippo Roller in Kgautswane, Uganda |
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The H in Project H stands for humanities, habitats, health and happiness. Project H is the brainchild of Emily Pilloton, who seems to run it on few resources other than her own boundless energy and charisma. It shares a philosophy, and offices, with Cameron Sinclair’s Architecture for Humanity, but uniquely its focus is on product design. Projects include designing “learning landscapes” for AIDS orphans in Uganda and helping homeless people in Los Angeles towards self-sufficiency. In a flagship Project H initiative, Pilloton took on an existing but struggling product – the Hippo Roller, which makes transporting water over long distances easier – improved its design, organised transportation to Africa, and funded distribution by “crowdfunding” – soliciting small donations over the internet. Indeed, Project H’s most valuable contribution might be to educate other Western designers that the best way out of a design problem is not always a new product.
The Hippo Roller in Kgautswane, Uganda |
Image Adam Laycock
Words Justin McGuirk, Johanna Agerman, William Wiles, Anna Bates, Beatrice Galilee, Oliver Wainwright, Alex Pasternack, Matthew Barac, Sean Dodson |
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