AofA + Citylab @ G5A
PU
BLIC, WORKS!
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PUBLIC, WORKS!
There’s a problem with public toilets. There aren’t enough; people don’t like the public toilets run by the government as they are in disrepair or extremely poor condition and under-maintained. People mostly don’t use the toilets at all, but do their business in the open, near sewers. On the other hand, people use the cleaner, well-lit pay toilets run by NGOs. As a result, these toilets are over-used and therefore, need functional improvements at many levels.
This workshop isn’t about documenting the number of public toilets in the city.
Instead, by understanding how these public spaces function we are exploring gender, class and caste relations in Mumbai by focusing on public toilets.
Public toilets have always been an important part of public culture and can function on many levels...
They have an acute effect on the public psyche...
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project sites
G5A
Site:
methodology
system
PARAMETERS
Sustainable recycling using innovative/indig-
enous systems
Universal Design for blind, old & infirm, disabled
(access & amenities)
Women’s & Children’s needs (toiletries [soap,
hand-sanitizer, toilet paper etc], hand-bidets,
changing stations, condoms)
Men’s needs (soap, hand-sanitiser, condoms)
Amenities: Toilet type (urinals, western, indian),
showers (where applicable), drinking water, toi-
letries, sanisettes
Design & Aesthetic (considering water manage-
ment, gardening and zero waste agenda)
Lighting (skylights)
Ventilation (brick jaali for ventilation & plant
structure)
Privacy & Safety
Plant usage (medicinal, aromatic, air-purifying)
PUBLIC TOILETS GENERALLY CONTAIN SEVERAL OF THE FOLLOWING FIXTURES:
Air fresheners or odour control systems
Soap - Auto Antiseptic dispensers
Bidets (not universal; most common in Western Europe)
Garbage can
Hand dryer - manual or with auto sensors
Taps - some lowered for children and handicapped
Mirrors, usually over sinks
Paper towels / Hand dryers with auto-sensors for touch-
less dispensing
Showers are also present, often with soap, shampoo, or
similar dispensers
Safety - Toilets located within stalls with locking doors
Vending machines dispensing condoms, diapers, pain-
killers, perfume, tissues, confectionery, undergarments,
swimwear, soap, sanitary napkins or tampons
MODERN PUBLIC TOILETS USUALLY HAVE THE FOLLOWING FEATURES:
Doorless entry (labyrinth entrance) prevents the spread of
disease that might otherwise occur when coming in contact
with a door. Doorless entry provides visual privacy while
simultaneously offering a measure of security by allowing the
passage of sound and also helps deter vandalism. Doorless
entry may also be achieved simply by keeping an existing door
propped open, closed only when necessary.
Sensor-operated fixtures prevent the spread of disease by
allowing patrons to circumvent the need to touch common
surfaces. Also help conserve water by limiting the amount
used per flush, and require less routine maintenance.
signage: safety & etiquette
gender matters
ARE PUBLIC TOILETS
CHILDFRIENDLY?
WHAT ABOUT FATHERS?
Infant changing tables,
often fold-down (more
often in women’s rooms
but in Western countries
increasingly common in
men’s rooms)
CAN WE RECYCLE WASTE TO CREATE POTABLE WATER & CLEAN ENERGY?
sustainability = maintenance
low-tech:latrines
compost
construct
FERNS are the most efficient air-filtering plant. Expels mold and toxins.
ENGLISH IVY is a strong anti-allergen and purifies airborne feces.
purify, smell, sell, eat
function
materials
grid independent
solar
light
best designs
Cool_surf is the diagramming of the flux of information in contemporary media. The objective of coolsurf is to make ‘sense’ of and catalogue the endless array of information and images that we encounter in surfing the web.
Cool Surf is created by the process of making simple “screen captures” and organizing them in a book format that creates a set of logical connections between the websites you visit. Cool Surf is about reclaiming our image-making authorship when we use the web, just as the camera reinforces our authorship in the real world. You are documenting the experience of your research, every outcome is intuitive, improvisational and unique. There is no set outcome that you must arrive at.
Start with a prompt and research it through the Internet. Be rigorous, yet free with your search. Show as many things that could be associated to that subject as possible. As you surf, continue to
ask questions, search for the answer, record the images and pertinent text to convey your findings, and repeat. The accumulation of material will reinforce the research and inspire the reader. It is important to leave the context of the website, with the address bar intact so that the reader always has access to your sources.
Cool Surf is made into a book format to re-contextualise, catalogue, map and issue this information. Some of the most useful subjects for Cool Surf are those that will be valuable as resources for people without access
Simple subjects have simple answers at first but follow your creativity and explore your curiosity to find deeper answers to as many tangents as possible. Remember, your cool surf has a history, your cool surf relates to other people and cultures, your cool surf is answered in many ways.
VERTICAL STUDIO ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
MUMBAI, INDIA
WHAT IS COOL_SURF?
BEGIN WITH PROMPT
SCREENSHOOT YOUR RESEARCH
(INCLUDE THE WEB ADDRESS)
ARRANGE IN A KIND OF ORDER YOU CAN EXPLAIN
MAKE A PDF
UPLOAD YOUR COOL_SURF PDF TO
WWW.ISSUU.COM
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SCREENSHOOTING: on a mac
on a pc
ASSEMBLING A PDFon a mac: preview, indesign
on a pc: microsoft word
UPLOADING TO ISSUU.COMlogin
upload
publish
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CAPTURE ENOUGH OF THE SCREEN TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE THE IMAGES CAME FROM (INCLUDE THE ADDRESS BAR)
OR USE ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH--YOU CAN MAKE A PDF FROM WORD EASILY
IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO ADOBE INDESIGN, THAT WORKS WELL TOO
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aofag5acitylab
utiliiZe the mass publishing capabilities of the internet and put Your cool_surf as a PDF document at ISSUU.COM at the librarY coolsurfv4
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NoopurDesai
make the title:(include the prompt, your first & surname)
publishing may take a few minutes, but when its done it will show up in the cool-surfv4 library
upload your pdf!
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