Yes, folks, the future is here, pressing down upon us with dim forecasts of overpopulation, financial collapse, catastrophic weather and the like. So what's a mildly misanthropic A & D aficionado to do? Embrace it with gusto, I say, and compensate with all manner of accoutrements designed to stave off the depressing effects of diminishing resources. As, for instance, this clever re-imagining of the bathroom: the Home Core Concept by Dang Jingwei.

Home Core. Designed by Dang Jingwei.

A spiritual brethren to both virtual (OMC's Erk System) and living, breathing (Elkay's Compact Cascade Sink, Lodovico Bernardi's Rubika) solutions to spatial constraints, Dang's Home Core combines toilet, sink, and vanity into one-achieving what the English might describe as a loquacious loo indeed. The idea is driven by a conservationist ethic, which is what we need in spades, if we're to combat our various millennial calamities.

Here's how it works: the sink is strategically placed atop a temporary storage tank, funneling run-off into a way station to supply the toilet. The unit also integrates a small vanity/shelf, pop-up mirror, and drawer. Each component is aligned via a central swiveling hinge, so if you're finished with the sink and it's time to move on to, ahem, more pressing concerns, simply glide it out of your way for unimpeded access. The concept has a high degree of user control built in: cleverly-integrated, color-coded buttons tell the unit to "store" or "discard" water from the sink, and an easily-accessible push pad lets you control water flow.

So what of the aesthetic? I have to say I like it, which is saying a lot, since many conceptual/future-oriented solution pieces often let this aspect fall by the wayside. The look of Home Core does smack of the future (as envisioned filmically–and, therefore, in our collective imaginations–in movies like Logan's Run and Star Wars), but it has nice contours and a clean color palette. My two caveats: the requirements for "swiveling room" would seem to preclude backing the unit into a wall or corner; and the toilet looks a bit high off the ground.

Of course, only an up-close-and-personal trial run could provide an informed response to the latter concern. Until then, Home Core stands as an innovative contribution to the laudable objectives of space-saving and water conservation.

Via Yanko.