Thursday, May 18th, was accompanied by interesting speeches and positive feedback, when the exhibition of the Finnish pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale had its opening. The Dry Collective exhibition Huussi – Imagining the future history of sanitation debates architects and designers’ role in solving the problems caused by climate change and human activity. The exhibition declares the end of the era of our current water-toilet based sanitation system. Already during the first week, more than 15,000 biennale visitors saw The Dry Collective’s exhibition curated by Arja Renell. Seemed like Huussi had become a phenomenon around the world – the exhibition has already gained publicity in more than fifty magazines or publications (ARCHInfo 2023).
Publication diving into the theme, Death to the Flushing toilet, was published at the opening. The book contains thirteen articles shedding light on the world history of sanitation, sanitation systems around the world and, preferentially, huussi as a part of Finnish cultural heritage. Nutrient recycling, circular waste economies, urban sanitation solutions and practical examples were introduced in the book. Also, REHOME Dry Toilet, designed by two students Sara Auvinen and Tiia Jokinen from LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts in Rehome project was invited.
REHOME Dry Toilet contributing to the death of flushing toilet
As a natural continuum of ERDF funded Rehome project (Find more info on Rehome project from following website: rehomefurniture.com), the REHOME Dry toilet concept sought to meet both human and planetary needs. The goal was to reduce total emissions by binding carbon dioxide to the wooden toilet construct, improve hygiene, reduce the water footprint, increase the utilization of the fertilizer generated in the composting process, achieve financial savings, and improve safety, such as preventing sexual crimes.
In their design process supervised by Design Lecturer Vesa Damski, the students scrutinized the user experiences of the dry toilet construct, also looking at different cultural perspectives and challenges set by operational environment. The concept of the REHOME Dry Toilet developed into a high-quality architectural prototype using a user-oriented design method. The toilet was created to serve the needs of outdoor events and nature sites in western environments, crisis areas, and refugee environments.
Clean water and sanitation are the sixth Sustainable Development Goal of the SDGs set by UNDP. Drinkable water is a scarce resource that billions of people lack, and so is functional and safely managed sanitation. (UNPD 2023) A fundamental change is needed in the mindset to enable the revolution of sanitation practices and save precious, clean water for more practical use. Thus, it is time to question the western sanitation system that uses water to flush the toilets – it is time to embrace the dry toilet concept in the housing of the west.
The Huussi exhibition can be seen in the Finnish pavilion designed by architect Alvar Aalto in the Giardini in Venice. The 18th Venice Architecture Biennale is open to the public from May 20th to November 26th, so you better hurry!
Author
Katariina Mäenpää works as a project manager and RDI Specialist in the LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts.
References
ARCHInfo. 2023. Huussi was received with great enthusiasm at the Biennale Architettura in Venice. ARCHINFO FINLAND. Cited 31 Jul 2023. Available at https://www.archinfo.fi/en/articles/huussi-was-received-with-great-enthusiasm-at-the-biennale-architettura-in-venice
UNPD. 2023. Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all. Sustainable development goals. Cited 31 Jul 2023. Available at https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/#:~:text=Goal%206%3A%20Ensure%20access%20to%20water%20and%20sanitation%20for%20all&text=Access%20to%20safe%20water%2C%20sanitation,in%202030%20unless%20progress%20quadruples.
Picture 1. Minna Jutila. 2023. Huussi sai innostuneen vastaanoton Venetsiassa. ARCHINFO FINLAND Newsletter 5/2023. Cited 31 Jul 2023. Available at https://mailer.gruppo.fi/t/r-e-tttlhtht-buktklujrr-r/
