How can a product-system for container-toilets in Kenya be designed, to collect and transport faeces in slums, with safety and dignity?
One in three people worldwide live without safe and dignified toilets, over 200 million in African slums. This leads to widespread sickness, pollution, and death. Container-based sanitation services address the problem by collecting human faeces in containers, inside toilets, inside peoples’ homes. These services regularly collect the containers and biodegrade the faeces into products, e.g. compost. Container-toilets are smelly, services are inefficient and unsafe. In this thesis, ethnographic fieldwork, rapid prototyping, and experiments are used to develop a new solution; PooPac.
PooPac is a bioactive paper bag that suppresses the toilet smell. The biodegradable PooPac is sealed for transport, and directly composted, removing all contact with faeces. PooPac can increase access to safe and dignified sanitation.
As a fashion and costume designer I often lack access to the desired material – the raw resources for my designs. Many textiles are either unavailable or unaffordable. Digital technologies open up new possibilities for the production of textiles and the implementation of designs.
In a self-experiment, I explore the applicability of 3D printers and laser cutters for my existing collection. Exploratively and experimentally, I highlight the potential of various production processes. An exemplary top demonstrates the acquired knowledge as a collection of applied methods. As a result of my research, I illustrate what technical possibilities exist today, how they can be implemented, and where the potential lies in the combination of traditional craftsmanship and digital methods.
How can interactions between the sighted and the visually impaired be facilitated in order to raise awareness and empathy for those living with visual impairments?
This Master thesis aims to transform the city of Zurich into a more accessible place for the visually impaired. The transformation is accomplished through the implementation of a city tour app for the visually impaired-. The app works in combination with interactive, 3D-printed replicas of landmarks and views of the Old Town of Zurich. This combination creates an immersive-sensory experience of the city, which can be enjoyed by both the sighted and the visually impaired.
But why does the city of Zurich need to become more accessible for the visually impaired? By opening the sights of cities to everyone, the project encourages a more inclusive society – a society that is aware and understanding of what it means to be visually impaired.
"Der Übergang von der privaten Wohnung in eine Pflegeinstitution wird als eines der herausforderndsten Lebensereignisse beschrieben. In einem meist vulnerablen Zustand müssen sich ältere Menschen von ihrer gewohnten Umgebung verabschieden und sich an ein neues Umfeld, neue Abläufe und neue Personen anpassen.
Es gibt gesundheits- und pflegewissenschaftliche Studien zum Verlauf dieses Übergangs, welche Pflegefachpersonen dazu dienen, die Prozesse zu begleiten. Wissen, wie die Designdisziplin das Erleben des Übergangs beeinflussen kann, fehlt bislang. Ziel der Untersuchung ist es daher, Interventionsmöglichkeiten für diese Disziplin aufzuzeigen. Hierzu erfolgen eine Literaturrecherche und eine Analyse qualitativer Interviews mit Bewohnenden des Pflegehotels St. Johann.
Es zeigt sich, dass die Prozesshaftigkeit des Ereignisses, die kommunikativen und interaktiven Aspekte sowie die räumlichen und sozialen Veränderungen vielfältige Anknüpfungspunkte fürs Design bieten. Entlang des Übergangsprozesses kann auf verschiedenen Ebenen und in verschiedenen Kontexten intervieniert werden. Mit dem Konzept des Age Labs ist es gelungen, wichtigen Akteuren das Potential von Design und den dadurch entstehenden Mehrwert aufzuzeigen."