Bathroom Unit for Migrant Farmworkers – Sampson County, NC, USA
Soon after I arrived to North Carolina for my year with Design Corps, I visited my first migrant farmworker labor camp. I was accompanying an inspector who’s job it was to visit these camps each year to make sure they meet regulations. The condition of the camps was appalling, but what was even more shocking was that they complied with the minimum standards set by the law. The bathroom facilities were particularly atrocious. They often lack proper ventilation and lighting. Utilities and appliances are often broken or outdated. Sampson County, still allows privies, like those pictured below.
A coalition of farmworker advocates had been trying to develop a large scale housing development for many years without success. I decided that implementing a smaller scale project could provide a more immediate first step towards addressing the larger issues of inadequate farmworker housing. After visiting existing camps, and survey migrant farmworkers, I began to design a bathroom unit that could be placed at an existing camp in need of updated facilities. Surveys were sent out to farmers to illicit partnership with one who was interested about and in need of new bathroom facilities for his migrant workers.
The bathroom facilities play an important part in the farmworkers’ daily routine. Upon their return from the fields at the end of the day the farmworkers first wash up. I began to conceive of the bath unit as a ritual space of transformation between work and leisure. When attached to an existing housing that previous lacked it own internal facilities, the bathroom becomes a special entry. Farmworkers can wash up initially at utility sinks outside, then enter to shower, and proceed towards the inside sinks for final cleansing. In reaction to the problems of current facilities I wanted this new unit to be much lighter in its construction, allowing more air and light to flow through the space. All plumbing functions were placed along a central wall to maximize efficiency. Internal dividers provided privacy which current facilities often lack. The roof structure included a large overhang to create usable outdoor spaces where farmworkers could take off their muddy boots and wait for their turn.
Many large camps that are comprised of multiple smaller structures would benefit more from a bathroom unit that stood on its own. Using materials that were durable and easy to maintain became an important criteria. Where the farmworkers lived into the cooler months of the year the units would need to be heated, hence they could not be permanently as open as originally conceived. The means of manufacturing the bathroom dictated overall dimensional restraints and the need for the unit to be composed of pieces. Two separate sides with mirrored functions remained important so that camps could utilize half for males and half for females.
Private funding was secured for the first prototype unit, which was later built during a design build studio at NC State with Bryan Bell. My survey activities for this project were written about in an essay by Bryan Bell in the book Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service Through Architecture.