BUCKET BOOTH
Olive Branches / Pine Wood / Screws / Roof / Tires
Built in 2020 in collaboration with Dan and Biana from the Garden X project, with the help of Matilde Outeiro.
This sheltered compost toilet was created as part of a two months design residency at Garden X. It offers the user a panoramic view onto the valley of Ocreza River, in which the off-grid living project is located.
The toilet is based on a bucket system, which deals with the faeces by decomposing them through the addition of saw dust, one of the best ways to avoid unwanted smells.
Due to a design approach, that emphasizes the use of tools and materials wich are locally accessible, the whole project could be executed on a super low budget (only the roof sheet and screws had to be bought). The booth grew into its final shape throughout the building process, following a few simple rules:
First, beams of pine wood were used to build a framework, which was then progressively supported and stiffened by applying branches of the dead olive trees that are scattered all around the area. Material was added until the structure was fit to fulfill its functional requirements.
The toilet house had to be strong enough to not only carry a few people, but to withstand wind and rain, from wich it is supposed to give shelter at the same time. It also had to be built in a way, that gives its users the privacy they need, while preserving the view and the feel for the environment. This was accomplished by weaving in fresh branches from the local Mimosa trees.
Emptying the bucket was to be made as simple as possible. To avoid an unhealthy lifting posture, the booth and therefore the bucket is elevated onto a height, that makes it as easy as possible to grab it. Finally, stairs were built to create an access form the top terrace. Old tires were used for this.
