Students design public toilets for city
JJ College of Architecture students suggest unique ways to make better
toilets
Manasi Phadke
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.
URL : http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=226781