Kaka: Poop for Thought

INDD 410 Spring 2020

KELLY SUN

KAKA: POOP FOR THOUGHT An alternative toilet experience designed to foster discussion and redefine the value of our bodily waste.

PROJECT BOOK

POOP FOR THOUGHT

INTRO The challenge of human waste management exists since the beginning of civilization. The invention of toilet and urban planning for sewage treatment plant has completely change the way we interact with our feces. With the conventional drop and flush mechanism, we no longer associate our feces as part of the nutrient cycle within the complex ecological system. The lack of attention to our bodily waste has removed our agency to care for ourselves and the greater environment. Arguably, the stigma with our bodily waste is one of the most durable amongst humanity. However, with the same model of waste management system, we are extremely vulnerable to unforeseeable crisis. Through demonstrating an alternative washroom experience, this project aims to redefine the value of our bodily waste and restore the sense of giving back to the Earth in our current practice of using the toilet.

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TABLE OF CONTENT “From your lips to your butt, your intestines are a tube through which the environment of the outside world moves through your body.� [1] - The Origin of Feces

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Problem Statement

Design objective

Research

Defining the problem space of this project, providing the background context

Stating the goals of this project, and the core value of the design

Showing the process of design and desicision making

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Concept

The Component

Bibliography

Presenting the illustration of design, and the sequence of usage

Documenting the materials and dimensions of each component of the design

Referencing the resources I used in this project book

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PROBLEM STATEMENT None of what we currently understand as the Earth would have been possible without poop

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DISTRIBUTION

MANAGEMENT

RESOURCE

The interaction between ecological webs, land use, and social dynamics are not often recognized in the discussion of manure management. We should be thinking not only of contamination and health in relation to individuals, but also the implication for seed dispersal, movement of nutrients, and the longterm flourishing of the life on the Earth.

The solution of manure management appears to be more and better technology: efficient flush toilets, sinks to wash hands and filtration plants. However, getting feces out of the house is only part of the issue. If we are not care for the kinds of technology we used, we will not be able to get away.

440 billion litres of wastewate are being treated in Metro Vancouver every year [2], Wastewater contain a number of different pollutants and waste products, including soap, food scraps, human waste, oils and other chemicals. Which makes neither water or manure an efficient reusable resource.

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POOP FOR THOUGHT

dependency on the efficiency of the sewage system/ flushable toilet to function properly

Request for function, comfort, and cleanilness

Care of self

specific to cultural/ personal expectation, livelihood standard & style

personal routine

INDIVIDUALS

Multiple communities interconnected to one another, regulated and maintain with centrialized infrastructure

COMMUNITY

[limited decision making]

SOCIETY

[family, neighborhood scale]

[Local, national scale]

pets included

Care of others

Could we redesign the way we use yhe washroom?

Education, implement value, where ‘redefine’ happens

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Resiliece

Specific to the weather condition, landscape and geographic location. includes human & non-human, from center of the city to nonresidential area

linear sewage system which is extremely vulnerable to climate change and crisis where energy/ nutrient are continuously pulling out from a few sources, and distribute rest to a centralized places where they shouldn’t be.

This type of strategy, though efficient and convenient, keep people distance from how they conceive of their environment.

ENVIRONMENT

ECOSYSTEM

[Surroundings: geographically grounded, with/without influence of human activities]

Develop systems that restore a sense of connection to one’s surroundings will illuminate a holistic view of how their existence is connected to the world they live in.

lack of poop - earth connection

how does poop exist in the world?

design to sustain resource recovery

Deisng to circular

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What does a circular toilet looks like?

POOP FOR THOUGHT

DESIGN OBJECTIVES A shift from manure management to sustainable living in a biosphere in which nothing is wasted

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CONNECT

INFORM

ENHANCE

Our connection with life is inseparable from our poop. As a part of the nutrient cycle, defecation regenerates the flow of elements. This practical level of daily life is the esscent of being alive. It represents the Earth inside us, becoming part of us. And everyday, the parts of us are replaced, return to the environment.

Pooping, is how we give back to the land we lived, on a daily basis.

Human waste is categorized in relevent to what we classify as waste. The value of human feces and its important role are absent in the concern of hygiene.

To foster conversation and awareness of our stigma around poop is a step toward being resourceful and recognized our bodily waste as valuable resources

A mixture of our biological inheritance and culture has created variety of strategies to deal with human waste.

The narrative of poop never has a one-sizefits-all solution, so it must continues. If we understand the world, and our place in this complex view of ecosystem, we can create an open-ended narrative of poop in a collective way.

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A type of dry toilet that treats human feces by a biological process which leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human excreta into compost-like material. [3] COMPOSTING TOILET

A simple type of composting toilet in which feces are collected in a shallow pit and a fruit tree is later planted in the fertile soil of the full pit. [4]

ARBORLOO

A chemical toilet which collects human excreta in a holding tank and uses chemicals to minimize odors.

These toilets are usually, but not always, selfcontained and movable. [5]

MARKET RESEARCH

PORTABLE WASHROOM

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ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY 1: SHITTY WORKSHOP

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Observations What works well: Tea and brownie works really well for gathering participants. The open space allow individuals to join/leave anytime they want. The setting also allows participants to move/act out, creating an energetic vibe for the entire workshop What could be done differently: The space is too open for disscussion and conversation. The position of everyone standing though created conversation-friendly environemnt, the mapping is less intuitive.

As the workshop facilitator, I need to be more prepare for documenting all the conversation while maintaining the flow of discussion What did I learn: The role-playing section allows the discussion to be outside of the box for a moment where we were able to talk about the topic in a more holistic point of view through the lense of nonhumans. One of the most in depth discussion is around ‘What assumptions about the world does the use of toilet tacitly encourage?’ followed by ‘Are we able to held responsibilities for the consequence of the use of toilet?’

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ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY 2: CULTURAL PROBE

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Observations Day !: visualize individuals’ domestic washroom situation Day 2: Map out washroom routine Day 3: evaluate individual’s water usage Day 4: Pro & Con of the current washroom situation Day 5: Share the most memorable/bizarre wahsroom experience

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ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY 3: PHOTO STUDIES Scenario Document the washroom space in daily environment: pay attention to where they are located, how available they are, note down any unexpected observations.

If you really want to know a space, ask for the washroom.

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Observations What works well: Participants were asked to not only photo document, but also to draw down the space from there memories. Thus, I am able to capture the focus point of their experience.

What could be done differently: The duration of this photo studies is a week, but I still got photos of weird toilet from time to time.

I aslo didn’t ask for specific what I want people to take photo of, but I am glad there are some notes to details. One thing I would love to change is to get people to note down where the photo is taken, so I can have a sense of the ocntext What did I learn: I am surprising to find so many variety of wahsroom spaces just within the area I commute day to day, I have never pay close attention to public washroom, I used to thought they are all the same, but they are different. I passed by this free standing public washroom stall everytime I go to work, but I would have never thought of checking it out. When asked to draw a toilet space from memory, it is always the toilet comes to mind, and then the toilet paper, everything else is kind of a blur.

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TARGET MARKET community garden

recreational park

education program

food security society

outdoor event

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farmer’s market

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COOK PROCESS

HARVEST

FEED EAT

LIFE CYCLE GROW APPLY

DIGEST

REGENERATE

DEFECATE

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POOP FOR THOUGHT

REFINEMENT ITERATION 2.0: FOOD SCRAP

This iteration is aiming to complete the cycle fo diestion, and looking for alternative material for making the vessel.

In this system, participants are asked to create the vessel by themselves. It is no longer just about the feces, but the set of activities: from cooking, to eating, to digesting , to pooping, to composting and back to growing.

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VENTILATOR To reduce the odor

SEAT

DRIED FLOWERS To provide fragrant

COLLECTING UNIT consist a biodegradible container to improve the composting process

SEPARATE DEVICE To separate pee and poo

QUATTY POTTY: To provide a healthy posture when defecating

URINE COLLECTOR CARBON MATERIAL + A SCOOP: Consist sawdust, coconut coir, or peat moss, to be added after each use

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Would be use for plant watering after treated

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CONCEPT the

Temple of Poop

Most individuals experienced discomfort, uncertainty, and concern with hygiene when it comes to using public/shared washroom.

Poop for Thought aims to shift that toilet experience into an refreshing experience, where individuals could enjoy privacy and participate by “contributing’ to the environment. Meanwhile, fences of vertical garden are set up around the station, with fragrant flowers planted to reduce the odors.

Individuals are welcome to adapt a pot of flowers/plants after the use of station.

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A request or invitation for ToP stations is filed for the coming events or programs with specific number of days and stations needed.

The ToP station(s) will be set up prior to the events/program

The ToP station is placed at a destinated location. A sign of instuction will be placed outside of the ToP station. On the day of the event, we will be monitor the ToP, be sure the system is used properly

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Visit the nearest ToP station

Make sure the ToP station is not in use before enter, be sure to lock the door during the use

Make sure there is enough toilet paper and the seat is flipped.

Reading matters about humanure are provided, individuals are welcome to take a look during the use of ToP station.

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4.

The collector will be removed once it reaches close to its capacity (which will be calculated by the number of time of individuals enter.

SEQUENCE OF USE COMPOST

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After use, toss the used toilet paper into the toilet, then apply the Carbon additives on the side to promote aerobic decomposition. This will improve the carbon-tonitrogen ratio and reduces potential odor.[6]

Please do not throw nondisposable items into the toilet such as tampons, pads, baby wipe, and negitave emotions, as the compost will be used for fertilizer.

A hand-washing station is located outside of the ToP station. Individuals are welcome to adopt a pot of flower (planted with the fertilizer created from the ToP station) as an exchange for one’s contribution.

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[1] Waltner-Toews, D. (2013) The Origin of Feces: What Excrement Tells Us About Evolution, Ecology, and a Sustainable Society. ECW Press.

[2] Metro Vancouver. (2020) How Water is treated. Retrieved from http:// www.metrovancouver.org/services/liquid-waste/treatment/treatment-plants/ how-wastewater-treated/Pages/default.aspx [3] Let’s Go Green. (2016) Composting Toilet. Retrieved from https://www. letsgogreen.com/how-composting-toilets-work.html [4] Morgan, P. (2007) Toilets That Make Compost: Low-cost, sanitary toilets that produce valuable compost for crops in an African context. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ecosanres.org/pdf_files/ToiletsThatMakeCompost.pdf [5] Gauvey Herbert, David (2019). “The Five Families of Feces”. New York.

Retrieved from https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/charles-howard-porta-potty-king-of-nyc.html

BIBLIOGRAPHY 31

Publication Š 2020 ECUAD All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher.

Design, Photography, Drafting & Renderings by Kelly Sun

Typeset in Lato Semi-Bold Nunito Light

Special Thanks to Scott Staniland, Christian Blyt