World Toilet Day: A Catalyst for Change
World Toilet Day serves as a reminder of the critical role that sanitation plays in human health, dignity, and environmental sustainability. As architects, we can leverage our expertise and creativity to design solutions that address the global sanitation crisis and create a world where everyone has access to safe, dignified, and sustainable sanitation facilities. Let's use this day as a catalyst for change and commit to designing a future where sanitation is not a privilege but a fundamental human right.
The Sanitation Crisis: A Call to Action
Globally, 2.3 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, and 673 million still practice open defecation. These staggering figures reflect a profound injustice and a serious threat to public health. The lack of sanitation facilities leads to the spread of preventable diseases, particularly among children, and has a devastating impact on the lives of women and girls.
As architects, we have a responsibility to address this crisis. Our designs can play a crucial role in promoting sanitation, hygiene, and public health. We can create facilities that are accessible, affordable, and culturally sensitive, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy and dignified life.
Designing for Dignity: A Human-Centered Approach
When designing sanitation facilities, it's essential to consider the needs and perspectives of the people who will use them. We must move away from a "modular" approach and embrace a "customised" design process that prioritizes user needs and preferences. This includes:
Understanding the local context: Taking into account cultural norms, physical constraints, and existing infrastructure is crucial for creating sustainable and appropriate solutions.
Prioritizing accessibility: Ensuring that facilities are physically accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, is essential for promoting inclusivity and dignity.
Incorporating gender considerations: Addressing the specific needs of women and girls, including menstrual hygiene facilities and privacy, is paramount for creating a safe and empowering environment.
Sustainability: Building for the Future
The design of sanitation facilities must not only address immediate needs but also consider long-term sustainability. This includes:
Resource-efficient design: Utilizing water-saving technologies, opting for renewable energy sources, and incorporating rainwater harvesting systems can significantly reduce the environmental impact of sanitation facilities.
Durable materials: Choosing materials that are resistant to wear and tear, local climatic conditions, and potential damage will extend the lifespan of facilities and reduce maintenance costs.
Community engagement: Involving the community in the design, construction, and maintenance of sanitation facilities can foster a sense of ownership and ensure that the facilities meet their needs effectively.
Design3.14's Conceptual Design Prototype
Last year in 2022, MohuA in collaboration with COA declared an open design competition to design public toilets, with few site typologies mentioned. We selected a Pilgrimage site as our basis of research. Pilgrimages are places which are considered sacrosanct (पवित्र) and thus, the toilet facility, which is a primary need of visitors is ignored or located far far away from the shrine location. Why? because it is "Apavitra/ Ashuach" (अपवित्र/अशौच) !
So, we proposed an entire sanitary block, which has bathing cubicles, WC cubicles (Indian and Western), obviosuly planned as per NBC for men, women, and physically challenged. The both sections were proposed with mother and child care section, where new mothers with their newborn have some privacy while feeding an nappy changing. Again, considering the nuclear family system or single parents, we felt the need to provide this child care room in both sections.
The overall design approach was more connecting with the context, with local materials, roofing style, humble scale and with natural skylights to provide abundant natural light.
For more content, visit our project page https://www.design3point14.in/projects/toilet2.0
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