Clean, airy, and user-friendly public toilets

New toilets with new design for a better experience

India toilet problems are well known but now a Mumbai-based architecture firm has given public loos a makeover.

The Urban Loo, a public toilet and tourist information center near the Charminar in Hyderabad, India, is located in a plaza near the Charminar. According to Kalpit Ashar of Mad(e) in Mumbai, which is executing this project, the plaza, which will also contain unisex bathroom areas, has an “open concept” to make individuals a part of the plaza. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has commissioned Mad(e) in Mumbai (MiM), which was founded and managed by architects Kalpit Ashar and Mayuri Sisodia, to build these Urban Loos in 53 locations.

Users were taken aback by the way the first Urban Loo was planned and erected when it was opened for use at the Secunderabad Railway Station’s exit gate.

When the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan was in the spotlight four years ago, Kalpit and Mayuri began reconsidering public toilet architecture. They saw that although individuals cleaned and straightened up private streets, beaches, and footpaths, public restrooms were left neglected and filthy, Kalpit says.

After extensive research and design development, the MiM team developed a toilet manifesto and reached out to several countries. Kalpit says, “Public toilets are important landmarks of an emerging landscape in any modern city. They speak volumes about who we are as a society. Providing this basic but essential public convenience with dignity and comfort is the key to raising health, hygiene, and safety standards in any city. With this vision, we named the project as The Urban Loo, which is a new paradigm for good-quality public toilets for urban India”.

The goal of MiM is to transform the experience of using public restrooms for the average person. Modern, clean, and multi-purpose public toilets are vital in today’s urban lifestyle, where most people spend the majority of their time outside.

What distinguishes the Urban Loo area from existing public restrooms is that it is aesthetically designed, energy-efficient, safe, and provides a positive experience for all users, with easy access.

“the Urban Loo outside Secunderabad Railway Station caters to a large volume of people exiting the station. Taking inspiration from old clock towers, it is designed as an urban landmark with a city clock to build a connection with people in Secunderabad. The idea is to change the perception of a public toilet from a dirty, smelly, and unhygienic building to a memorable, joyful, and airy one. Its porous façade enables plenty of sunlight and natural cross-ventilation that helps in removing the foul smell. Due to skylights provided in the toilets, there is no need for electrical lights during the day. Toilets are lit and airy throughout the day. They are also fitted with shower facilities and waterless/odorless urinals”, Kalpit says.

So far, MiM has installed toilets on Mumbai roads and in seven major Rajasthan cities. The crew also created an amphitheater-themed toilet in Jaipur.

When asked Kalpit about upkeeping those places after building them he says, “The idea is to make something so good that no one should feel like vandalizing it or leaving it dirty”.

Source thehindu.com