Seminar IRGE

Following on from the winter semester's seminar, which focused on the transformation of the university's existing binary public restrooms into all-gender restrooms, this second edition continues the reflection on gender-neutrality, but this time in public space.

Specifically, in this continuation of the all-gender theme, we will design and build as a group an installation in the public space of the campus Stadtmitte in a two-week construction workshop. This installation will be a prototype of a gender-neutral public toilet cubicle that will serve as a landmark in the public space to discuss the theme of all-gender and related issues such as inclusion, diversity, privacy/publicity, innovation, city, design, and ecology.

During the seminar, students will first study theoretical approaches to the topic of gender-inclusive restrooms and existing architectural gender-inclusive examples. Their findings will be shared with their peers in the online sessions. In the two weeks of the construction workshop, students will work in teams to design and build the installation. At the same time, they will be collecting and organizing material from the process, which will then be compiled into a booklet. Experts in the field will contribute their experiences and perspectives. Among them Leonie Roth and Luisa Tschumi from urin*all, the group WASTE/Universität Stuttgart and others.

The seminar will be delivered in a hybrid format consisting of:

Three online sessions via Webex prior to the hands-on learning workshop, which will take place over two weeks from 27 May to 7 June. A dismantling one-day session on the second week of July.

Interested students will be selected by interview / motivation letter. Students will be expected to work as a team in the organisation, design, construction and dismantling of the installation.The first date of the course will be announced separately.

The aim is to inaugurate the installation at the end of the two weeks. At this inauguration the students will make a public presentation of what they have learned in the seminar and the workshop. The installation will be in place for one month. Afterwards, the students will dismantle the structure. The project is generously supported by the Rectorate for Diversity and Internationalization of the University of Stuttgart