top architecture design thesis 2021
WADIYAR CENTRE FOR ARCHITECTURE
MYSURU, INDIA
Design thesis authored by
vaishnavi k
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THESIS SPECIFICATIONS
Thesis Title: Women & Participation in Urban Placemaking: Reimagining the Public toilets
Project type: Public infrastructure development
Year of completion: 2021
Introduction
Even today women have to strategise before trying to access public spaces. Women feel compelled to demonstrate at any given time a legitimate reason to be where they are.
-Phadke, Khan, & Ranade, 2011
Women do not or in most cases cannot claim the public realm as they wish to, because most of our cities are not designed for the needs of women.
Women are discouraged from spending more time in public spaces because of safety issues. The lack of public infrastructure such as seating spaces, drinking water dispensers, toilets, etc. adds to this. Sanitation is an important aspect of life, and the right to sanitation has many dimensions, especially in a country like India. For women, this lack of adequate infrastructure has to led to bigger issues of health, security, leisure, comfort and a sense of ownership of space.
Many of the existing public utilities are either not accessible or unsafe. This ends up being dangerous both in terms of health and physical attacks. So public spaces and infrastructure on the contrary push users away from them. With fewer women using the systems provided, planners design less or sometimes nothing for women. With more people, especially women now required to step out into the public realm, we need carefully designed spaces and infrastructure for everyone with sensitivity so that the community will respond positively to it.
Mysore has different scales of public zones, the City Centre (public), Leisure centres (semi-public) and dense Residential Areas. The thesis uses the city of Mysore as a lab and to site the project. The aim is to have a system of toilets interacting with all these zones which can cross-subsidise each other.
Mapping the existing toilets around the city and their condition highlighted some important issues. One of the biggest reasons for the failure of these systems is the lack of ownership of these systems. The idea is to combine the toilet with a few other activities. This coexistence would ensure the use, safety and functioning of the toilet. These activities or safety nets can be one of two types or both: a functional one and a social framework. Some of these safety nets can provide economic support, some function as information centres and some as points of rest across the city.
Along with public toilets, it was important to design and place a few community toilets across the city. These would be placed in high-density areas where houses do not have adequate toilets. Unlike the public toilets which could have either of the 2 ( functional or social ) safety nets, the community toilet needs to have both. This would ensure use and safety throughout the day. The functional nets in this case would bring in the economy for the sustenance of the system and women using it. The social nets would bring in a sense of community and ownership of the space.
Phase 1: The Public Toilets
The public toilets would be placed at junctions, attached to most bus stands and public cycle stands with a 3-5 mins walking distance between 2 toilets. The system has 2 kiosks with varying spaces between them. The kiosks are enclosed by dynamic flooring which becomes seating, tables, and walls only where privacy is required (example: opposite to the toilet doors). The conical form makes it easy to maintain and, helps get more area at hand and eye level.
To make it a sustainable model along with the design aspect of a toilet it is necessary to look into waste generated too. Estimating the waste that can be generated out of the toilets areas required for constructed wetlands are calculated and spaces are identified. The water treated at these wetlands can rejuvenate the lakes and the compost can be used as manure for agriculture.
Phase 2: The Community Toilets
A dense residential area with about 50 houses without adequate or enough toilets is identified to site a community toilet. The idea is to create a split level from the street and create a multifunctional pavilion. This could give different kinds of spaces for different groups of women. The area is mapped and part-time economies of the area are recorded to incorporate with the community toilet as additional safety nets.
Most of the toilets are placed at the upper level face a seating/ katte which also acts as a washing area. Women can wash their clothes communally and dry them on the upper level while they sit together and work. Over time with the growth and economic status of the people, these toilets could be easily removed and the spaces become a pavilion to harbour various activities.
The idea for both these types of systems is to use the form itself to provide privacy and only where it is required. This eliminates the need for multiple layers or enclosures to protect the system. In the case of the community toilet, the issue is also being solved sectionally where the toilets being on the upper levels escape the eye level of the passerby while ensuring clear vision for people in the system. The openness of both the systems would allow vision and light which increases the sense of security. Apart from the utilitarian function of the toilet and the added safety net these 2 systems become a pavilion/ katte / niches for the women to own and interact with the city.
Sheets
the end
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