Cabinnest

Project

269809

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS RISING STARS : concepts or ideas submitted by young talents (aged 30 or less)

Project title

Cabinnest

Full concept/idea title

Description

Cabinnest is the innovative unisex, accessible and public toilet restroom that was designed to be autonomous and thus, to be placed anywhere in the world: in parks, cities or just in wild nature. 

Where is your concept/idea being developed or intended to be implemented in the EU?

Please provide a summary of your concept/ idea

Nowadays there is a huge problem regarding public toilet facilities in western cities and parks. The lack of these spaces that should be available for every citizen is really striking and it is still hard to overcome due to the countless negative stereotypes that exist around these places that are seen as vandalic, dark and dirty. Cabinnest though, offers a possible solution to this big problem. It is a unisex, accessible and public restroom designed to meet all the expectations of hygiene and security, thanks to the use of sensors to avoid vandalism and the use of materials that are all non-slippery, highly durable and antibacterial. But furthermore this device not only serves a plainly functional purpose to cover the user's most primary needs, but it actually offers a poetic, almost  labyrinth-like path around the cabin. The shape is inspired by the transversal cut of a tree trunk that has a core (the restroom) and concentric circles around it (the entry path).  And this inspiration on nature besides the mirroring facade (made of polished aluminium sheets) contribute to a very interesting and blending integration with the landscape around it- regardless of whether it is a natural or urban landscape. This device could really transform the urban landscape, not only aesthetically, but it could transform it into a friendlier and more liveable environment, improving the public hygiene and allowing people to remain longer in urban spaces.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of sustainability and how these would be met

Cabinnest is designed to be completely passive and independent, integrating all the installations needed autonomously. Mechanical ventilation, electrical energy supply with solar panels, water supply with rainwater tanks and waste management with a phyto-purification system are all orchestrated to work together in this device. All these systems integrated in one device, make this public toilet a very green and efficient solution that could furthermore be placed on any surrounding, independently of the public installation networks.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these would be met

The design of this public toilet features a very interesting path through its concentric mirrored walls that envelopes the cabin in a scenographic and poetic atmosphere. That way, the experience of going to a public restroom is not only limited to a feeling of hygiene and security; it is elevated into a new dimension as one walks around it, almost as if it was an art installation.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of inclusion and how these would be been met

One of the main aims of the project since the beginning was to design a toilet that could be in any case public, accessible and unisex. For that reason, all the paths are wide enough for disabled people; the cabin is unisex and includes a baby-changing table, to ensure that any parent of any gender could use it; and it is free and open to every citizen that would like to relieve him or herself. With the implementation of these cabins, we would be working forward towards a much-needed improvement of our public spaces.

Please explain the innovative character of your concept/ idea

Cabinnest is a very innovative device in terms of technology, as it integrates very advanced systems: such as the phyto-purification of the waste water or  solar energy supply with solar panels. But it also is quite advanced as it integrates the highest technology with the humanistic and social side of architecture. It could offer a real solution for a very striking problem in western cities (not to mention the huge problem in some under-developed countries in which there are not even private restrooms).

Please detail the plans you have for the further development, promotion and/or implementation of your concept/idea, with a particular attention to the initiatives to be taken before May 2022

For the further development of Cabinnest I think we should include participatory processes like co-design with various and very different groups of citizens that live in the cities where it could be implemented. It would be for example very important and determinant to know what women organisations to really have to say about how they would feel with a unisex bathroom. Or also for instance how disabled people would find the solution presented for accessibility in the current design. In my opinion the conception of the cabin could mutate and transform in a very organic way to meet and cover as many needs of the different social groups as possible. That is the point where the project could really work and be successful: after a process of collaborative and collective design that should reach sustainable solutions that improve every citizen's lives and that are socially engaging and inclusive.

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed concept/idea has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Rising Stars Awards more than once in the same category.