Architecture Drawn from the Toilet: Challenging Mindsets by Critical Design

Doctoral thesis, 2026

Whereas the sewer system in Flanders, the context under study, was once valued as an innovation for human health, it is increasingly criticised as a source of pollution and environmental damage caused by sewer overflows. Flemish sewers are now ageing, with some even dating back to the period of their original construction. As a result of the climate crisis and unexpected population growth, this system is under severe pressure and threatens to collapse. Architecture Drawn from the Toilet demonstrates that this infrastructure is no longer sustainable and that it perpetuates our collective ignorance and lack of responsibility regarding this issue. The dissertation examines the contemporary ‘flush-and-forget’ attitude, which is spatially supported by the current wastewater infrastructure. Within this research, the toilet is approached as both an architectural case and a daily habit to challenge contemporary mindsets by means of research-by-design and critical design.
The research unfolds through three consecutive design explorations focused on the same urban and semi-public case study: the Blikfabriek in Antwerp, Belgium. In each exploration, new toilet designs are developed that question and challenge existing habits surrounding toilet use within the case study. This first takes place through Critical Cartography, which maps the issues addressed in the research. Subsequently, Design Scenarios, or toilet designs, are developed for the case study. And finally, these designs are introduced as Conversation Pieces in dialogue with participants. From the analysis of these three design explorations, broader design strategies are developed to stimulate a shift in mindsets through architectural design. Such a shift can be as small as a slight change in perspective or point of view, yet still capable of setting us on an entirely new path.