Students design public toilets for Mumbai

In an attempt to renovate Mumbai through innovative measures suggested by students, the JJ College of Architecture started the Faculty Medal Competition designed to benefit the students while addressing pressing urban, social and civic issues. The theme for the maiden attempt of this competition that was held in September 2006 was designing of public toilets for particular sites of Mumbai.

“The competition provided an opportunity to the students to directly tackle real issues,” commented Mustansir Dalvi, Design In-charge in the JJ College of Architecture.

Organized by the college in association with Snowcem Paints, the competition drew over 200 concepts. The best 48 entries were shortlisted by a jury consisting of renowned architects. The jury gave its verdict in October 2006 and the prize distribution arranged on March 9 saw R K Rajiv, additional municipal commissioner as the chief guest.

Harshad Shiltole, a fourth year student who won the first prize, constructed the model of a public toilet at Nariman Point lands end. “Nariman Point is a major locale and quite surprisingly does not have a public toilet. The modernization plan also does not provide for one,” said Shiltole. Minute attention has been spared not only to utility but also to its beautification as the proposed model provides for landscaping inside the toilet. “The Additional Municipal Commissioner has invited me to discuss these plans in greater detail and consider their implementation,” adds Harshad.

In another ingenious attempt, a mobile public toilet inside a bus was designed by Dhiraj Takkekar, a second year student honoured with the second prize. While a mobile toilet is not an entirely inimitable concept, the detailing done by this student is commendable. Dhiraj’s model provides for a sewage tank thus eliminating the possibility of polluting the place where the mobile toilet is set up. It also provides for drinking water facilities, changing rooms and special treatment for women, children and the physically challenged.

Employing their skills, these students have also brewed other interesting possibilities such as rainwater harvesting inside public toilets, temporary folding toilets, toilets harnessing solar energy, toilets built of containers etc.

A special prize was announced for the efforts of the first year students. Manish Davane bagged it with his simple idea, well resolved in form.

The prizes for the competition were in the form of medals and cheque money. There was no mention of the actual implementation of the best plans that surface from this competition, when the idea was conceived. However, the success of the competition and the chief guest’s response has made the students as well as the professors eager to witness the realization of these plans. “We will try our best to get some of these ideas implemented,” commented Rajan Lakule, Principal of the college.

The college intends to conduct this competition every year to generate more such fresh ideas for the city and to provide more such exposure to the students.

via Indian Express.