A--D -- Lighting Bathroom

Introduction

Lighting Bathroom was initiated to address the urgent need for dignified sanitation and public lighting in underserved communities lacking basic infrastructure. In New Delhi’s Sector 126, Noida—an informal riverside settlement frequently affected by monsoon flooding—residents live without access to safe toilets or lighting. Our site survey identified 25 immigrant families and 35 children living in this area, where women and girls are particularly vulnerable due to unsafe open defecation zones and the absence of nighttime illumination.

Although India’s national sanitation coverage has improved from 39% in 2014 to 74% in 2023, flood-prone informal settlements like Sector 126 remain critically underserved. Here, the lack of safe sanitation has been directly linked to school absenteeism among adolescent girls and increased risks of gender-based violence.

The Lighting Bathroom project responds with a low-cost, low-tech, and community-owned sanitation pavilion powered by biogas. Built using sustainable, locally sourced materials and traditional construction methods, it provides not only clean toilet facilities and biogas-powered lighting, but also a shared public space for gathering and education.

Strategically located beside a library currently under construction, this will be the first sanitary facility in the settlement—improving hygiene, enhancing safety, and supporting the educational continuity of local children, especially girls.

Impact

Our project strengthens long-term community development by centering local agency and ecological knowledge. Lighting Bathroom is not a one-time intervention but a replicable framework co-created with the community. By transforming agricultural and organic waste into biogas for sanitation and lighting, the pavilion becomes a self-sustaining hub of health, safety, and empowerment.

Construction involves locally sourced materials—such as bamboo and reclaimed brick—and low-tech, adaptable methods like pin-joint systems, which are resilient to local environmental conditions, including monsoon flooding. By training local residents in these techniques, the project not only creates immediate jobs but also builds technical skills and ownership that extend beyond the site.

The impact is both qualitative and quantitative:

Quantitative: Direct access to safe toilets and lighting for 150+ residents; reduction in open defecation; decrease in school absenteeism among girls; generation of clean energy through biogas; local job creation during and after construction.
Qualitative: Increased sense of safety and dignity, especially for women and children; strengthened community identity through co-creation; long-term maintenance driven by local pride and participation.
Lighting Bathroom redefines infrastructure as something small-scale, beautiful, and deeply rooted in place—cared for because it’s created by those who use it.

Core team

The Lighting Bathroom project is led by a multidisciplinary team combining international design leadership with strong local expertise and community collaboration.

Sangji Han – Architectural Designer (U.S.): Founder of the initiative, leading design vision, research, and coordination across continents.

Monish Siripurapu – Local Collaborator (India): Principal Architect at ANT Studio, New Delhi, providing technical oversight, local knowledge, and implementation support.

Aniruddh Sharan – Project Coordinator (U.S./India): Supports strategy, documentation, and community engagement.

Design x Design – Local Partner and Competition Host: Selected the project as Winner of the Waste Not Competition (2024, New Delhi), providing a $1,000 grant and facilitating connections to local professionals.

Since October 2024, the team has conducted extensive on-site research in Sector 126, Noida—a flood-prone, informal riverside settlement in New Delhi. The local community has been deeply involved from the beginning. Our feasibility study included:

A restroom usage survey to understand behavioral patterns and needs

Demographic research, identifying women, children, and immigrant families as key beneficiaries

Soil and civil infrastructure analysis to guide construction

Material and funding surveys to assess availability and affordability

We’ve already developed trust with local residents through prior collaborations and successful hands-on construction with community participation.