A waterless, no-flush urinal sounds like a recipe for nasty. Not being a user of urinals myself, my only experience with the wall-mounted white bowl has been in vacated buildings that have long since seen a toilet brush and Scrubbing Bubbles. The urinal was patented in 1866 and has been used ever since as a means of saving space, time and water in public restrooms. Flushing methods have developed the most over time – and at present, the waterless flush-free system is the most innovative.

ZeroFlush. Designed by Zeroflush for American Standard.

ZeroFlush urinals have environmental, economic and sanitary benefits. 40,000 gallons of water are saved with just one urinal over the course of the year, which itself is a huge savings, along with eliminating the cost of plumbing to the urinal. ZeroFlush states that waterless systems have significantly lower bacteria counts as water encourages the growth of bacteria. While many urinals use deodorizing cakes containing damaging chemicals, ZeroFlush uses all-natural vegetable oil.

Urinals adhere strictly to “form follows function.” A quick search of the American Standard website shows urinals to be utilitarian objects that look more like equipment than bathroom fixtures. The Flowise flush-free urinal’s design stands out amongst the images as a designed object, not just a functional hunk of china. The shape is reminiscent of a drop of water, which is ironically missing from the urinal’s anatomy. It is as elegant, modern and as pleasing to the eye as one could hope for.

via buildinggreen.com