Water Bottling Plant in Ninh Van Bay by Chi.Arch

Plastic waste pollution is one of the world’s biggest sustainability problems and presents a direct threat to ecosystems. To reduce single-use plastics and further contribute to changing consumption and production patterns, a resort in Ninh Van Bay, Vietnam developed a small plant to produce drinking water in reusable glass bottles. Aside from serving the needs of visitors and staff, clean water is also provided for the local community.

This water bottling plant is located amidst a canopy of trees. Inside a wooden structure, the plant consists of the production facility and a lobby for visitors. “We created a space that is half inside and half outside, as the lobby space has almost no distinction between inside and outside,” shared the architects. For the production area, which must be sealed and routinely disinfected, large glass panels were used so that visitors can observe the production lines and machines.

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Environmentally-friendly materials

The plant is designed with a wooden truss structure and thatched roof, which was inspired by traditional materials and construction methods. While the wood has been imported, the leaves for the roof was sourced from nipa palm trees within Southwest Vietnam, and old trees from around the location were used for the furniture. The granite floor was hand-blended and ground, using sand and gravel crushed from local rock. Recycled bottles were also used to make the lights.

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Shared resources

The energy to power the plant comes from the resort’s solar farm, located 250 metres away. The water is produced using industrial-grade reverse osmosis filtration. Every year, 133,000 water bottles or around 360 per day are produced, representing a reduction of 4 tons of plastic bottle waste. All profits from the water bottle sales are used for the resort’s Water for All project, which has helped 3,000 people in the community to access clean drinking water.

The water bottle plant imparts an image that is both friendly and new, contributing to directing people towards the effective use of natural resources and limiting industrial waste.

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