THE BLACK SOAP PROJECT

In CUBA, people have little access to soap as a consumable re-source (sourced: interview with Marc Wuytack, regular volunteer in Cuban elderly homes) but have all the materials required to make it themselves. Our project aims at connecting the vibrant communities of Cuba and creates social impact through some-thing as simple as soap. The Black Soap project connects tourism, business & locals to enrich one another: tourists can purchase the black soap as a souvenir, funding this new enterprise while locals can attend workshops and learn how to make soap themselves. By com-bining this space & service design project with an existing archi-tecture project by Iwo Borkowicz (KU Leuven) we can create an impactful project with previous evidence to support it’s working method.

INTRODUCTION

Interior & architectureInterior & concept

Interior & detailInterior & service

Blair Boyle Nele HanssensRomi Sollie Elyse VertommenOlivier De Boeck

MAXIME JANSSENS AG E : 29 ROLE: SUMMER VO L UNTEER FROM BEL GIUM

MAXIME IS A BELGIAN CITIZEN WHO TRAVELS TO CUBA EVERY SUMMER TO VOLUNTEER WITH THE ELDERLY FOR 8 WEEKS

HE WANTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVING THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE BY HELPING THEM LEAD LONGER AND HAPPIER LIVES

IN ORDER TO DO THIS HE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO AD-JUST QUICKLY TO THE CUBAN WAY OF WORKING AND HAVE A GOOD TEAM OF PEOPLE.

BARRIERS HE MAY FACE ARE CULTURE SHOCK LIMITED RESOURCES FOR SOAP MAKING AND POTENTIALLY A LANGUAGE BARRIER

A NEW PROJECT LIKE OURS EXCITES MAXIME AS IT GIVES VALUE BACK TO THE LIVES OF THE ELDERLY IN A SIMPLE AND DUPLICABLE SERVICE?

PERSONAS

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BENITA RUNS THE AFRICAN BLACK SOAP MAKING COM-PANY AND HELPS TO COORDINATE ALL THE VOLUNTEERS IN WORKSHOPS AND SALES ECT SHE WANTS TO SUPPLY PEOPLE WITH THE KNOWEDGE AND INGRDIENTS THEY NEED TO MAKE THEIR OWN SOAP TO BETTER TAKE CARE OF THEIR HYGENE NEEDS

SHE NEEDS A TEAM OF PEOPLE WHOARE WILLING TO HELP AND VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO PEOPLE, IN PAR-TICULAR ELDERLY CITIZENS

SHE MAY FIND IT DIFFICULT TO GET OF THE GROUND WITH HER “START UP” IF PEOPLE AREN’T RECEPTIVE TO THE IDEA BUT SHE IS PATIENT AND WILLING TO WORK ON IT

BENITA IS A PASSIONATE AND WANTS TO HELP TRANS-FORM THE LIVES OF THOSE SHE MEETS AND SHE BELIVES THIS CAN BE DONE IN THE SIMPLEST OF WAYS

BENITA HERNÁNDEZAG E : 35 ROLE: COM PA NY /PRO JE CT LEADE R

“It’s the simple things in life that

m ake the biggest of impacts and I want to help make those

impacts!”

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MENDO HAS LIVED A HAPPY AND FULFILLED LIFE, BUT ITS NOT OVER YET! HE WANTS TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT TIME HE HAS LEFT

AS IT STANDS HE DOESN’T LIKE THE WAY HE IS TREATED WHEN BATHING HE IS STILL PHYSICALLY FIT ENOUGH TO DO IT HIMSELF AND THINKS HE COULD BE TREATED BETTER

HE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO FEEL MORE INDEPEND-ENT AND ABLE TO DO WHAT HE WANTS WITHOUT BEING TOLD “YOU CAN’T DO THAT”

A BARRIER TO THIS IS SOME PEOPLE MIGHT NOT GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO BE INDEPENDENT FOR FEAR HE MAY HURT HIMSELF

MENDO LOVES HIS FAMILY BUT THINKS THEY ARE TOO CONTROLLING OF HIM AND WISHES THEY WOULD GIVE HIM MORE FREEDOM AND INDE-PENDENCE

MENDO ÁLVAREZAG E : 86 ROLE: C UB AN ELDER LY CITIZEN

“I’ve lived a long life but I’ve never had less freedom than I do now. I

need more independence.”

TAJO LIVES WITH UNCLES LARGE FAMILY IN HAVANA AS HIS PARENTS PASSED AWAY WHEN HE WAS YOUNG-ER. HE IS A LOCAL VOLUNTEER

HE FEELS FULFILLMENT BY SPENDING HIS TIME HELP-ING PEOPLE IN HIS LOCAL COMMUNITY AS HE CAN RELATE TO THOSE IN NEED

TAJO NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THE EL-DERLY AND OTHERS WHO HE COMES IN TO CONTACT WITH AND TO DO SO IN A PEER TO PEER WAY

HE MAY FIND IT DIFFICULT TO TEACH OTHERS WITH-OUT THIS EXPERIENCE SO WOULD APPRECIATE THE SERVICE BEING SIMPLE AND SUPPORT.

TAJO NATURALLY LOVES GIVING BACK TO HIS LOCAL COMMUNITY AS ITS GIVEN SO MUCH TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY.?

TAJO GONZÁLEZAG E : 24 ROLE: C UB AN V OL UNTEER

?

MARIPOSA LIVES WITH HER LARGE FAMILY IN CEN-TRAL HAVANA, THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER SELLING PRODUCE AT THEIR LOCAL MARKET

SHE IS STILL ABLE TO CARE FOR HERSELF BUT FINDS IT DIFFICULT TO MOVE AS AGILEY AS SHE USED TO AND HAS CONCERNS ABOUT HOW SHE MAY BE TREATED AS SHE AGES ON

SHE NEEDS REASSURANCE THAT AS SHE AGES ON AND HER FAMILY TAKES RESPONSIBILITY OF HER CARE THAT THEY’LL TREAT HER RESPECTFULLY

HER FAMILY WANT TO BE AS KIND AS POSSIBLE TO HER BUT FEAR AS THEY WORK SO MUCH AND HAVE LIMITED FUNDS THAT MARIPOSA WILL END UP AS MORE OF A BURDEN

MARIPOSA SPENDS AS MUCH TIME WITH HER FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE AND THEY LIKE TO TRY NEW THINGS WHEN THEY CAN

MARIPOSA FERNÁNDEZ AG E : 67 ROLE: C UB AN ELDER LY CITIZEN

?

JUANETA IS A LOCAL HAVANA WOMAN WITH A FULL TIME JOB IN A LOCAL RESTAURANT/DINER SHE HAS A PARTNER AND CHILD

HER CHILD OFTEN COMES HOME MESSY, SHE WISHES TO BE ABLE TO CLEAN HIM THOUROUGHLY, SHE ALSO WANTS TO KNOW HER PARENTS WILL BE TREATED WELL LATER IN LIFE

SHE NEEDS A TANGIABLE PLACE WHERE SHE CAN ASK QUESTIONS AND LEARN ABOUT THE PROCESS OF AFRICAN BLACK SOAP MAKING

AS SHE IS IN FULL TIME WORK AND HAS A CHILD HER SCHEDULE IS PRETTY FULL SO THIS COULD ACT AS A BARRI-ER TO HER ACCESSING HER NEEDS

JUANETA CARES A LOT ABOUT HER FAMILY AND WANTS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE BEST OF LIFE FOR THEM, SHE WANT TO TREAT HER CHILD AND PARENTS WELL

“My family means the world to me, I w ant to treat my parents with the

love they gave me and treat my son as

w ell as I can.”

JUANETA LÓPEZAG E : 32 ROLE: CUBAN L OCA L CITEZEN

Manufacturing process (how do you make soap?)- First peel the banana, do not throw the peel away be

cause we’re also going to need it. Cut the peeled banana

into into pieces.

- Burn the banana pieces and the peel until it’s almost ash

and mix it. (The ashes contain potassium hydroxide)

- Add 2 cups of distilled water to the ashes.

- Let the water boil and let it cool again. Once this has

been done, you need to sift the substance to remove the

residue.

- Next step is to heat the vegetable oil on a low tempera

ture until it's melted.

- Pour the ashy substance into the heated vegetable oil.

- If you want you can add an extra ingredient like lavender,

chamomile or dried plants, so you get a more specific

fragrance. This is optional

- Keep on stirring till it’s a fresh and waxy like mixture,

afterwards you can transfer it into a mold.

Ingredients:- Bananas- Vegetable oil (f.e. palm oil, cocoa butter, cane oil,..) The amount of oil needed depends on the amount of soap you want to make.- Optional products: lavender, chamomile or dried plants

CUBAN HOUSING CRISIS

A project by Iwo Borkowicz, student ku leuven, has developed a plan to develop the

housing crisis in havana, cuba.

The idea is to renovate historic buildings and combine them with the tourists and the

local population. It would serve as an extra cost for the residents.

The building has spaces for the local population as well as spaces for the tourists. But

also a place where everyone can come together.

On this aspect we play to present our ‘soap project’ to the population.

The intention is for the population to come together in the collective section, to (soap)

make soap together.

MEDIUM HOUSE

LOCATION

COLLECTIVEHOUSINGGUEST ROOMSBUSINESSPUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE

POSSIBLE ZONING

JOURNEY EXPERIENCE MAP

4.

5.

6.

7.

Taught Workshops

Soap Making

Ingredient Packs

8.

9.

10.Returning

1.

2.

3.

Soap For Tourists

Locally Sourced Ingredients

Word Of Mouth Community