Schoemehl Products

by Ashutosh Singhal (MAUD ’19)

It was the former mayor, Vincent Schoemehl, that introduced the pipe section pots, know as the Schoemehl pots as street infrastructure. They were lauded by residents, designed to slow down traffic in residential neighborhoods. In reality however, these were used as tool of exclusion. The Schoemehl pots were strategically located to close of streets and create gated communities, private cul de sacs, and to disconnect higher income neighborhoods from other economic groups in the city. The Schoemehl pots became a symbol of elitist occupation in the city.

“Residential areas with enough clout are thus able to privatize local public space, partitioning themselves from the rest of the metropolis, even imposing variant of neighborhood ‘passport control on outsiders.”

– Mike Davis, City of Quartz

The disruption aims to invert this, from a tool of exclusion, to that of inclusion. Schoemehl Products T M is a new line of repurposed pots, designed specifically to cater to the needs of the homeless in the city. The basic necessities for homeless people to sustain themselves are a warm place to sleep, a space to cleanse, and a safe place to store their belongings. The disruption utilizes the Schoemehl Pots, to repurpose them to create:

Snooze Schoemehl: A safe and warm spot to comfortably fit a grown man, with shutters on either end. The concrete of the pipe behaves as a natural insulator by absorbing heat through the day.

Schoemehl Shower: Stacked vertically to create toilets and washrooms. They will draw water from the rainwater harvesters, Hydro STL

Schoemehlockers: Homeless people have to almost always lug around the few possessions they have. It becomes a liability, and also hinders their mobility. The Schoemehlockers provide cheap and convenient compartments for their storage needs.