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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