When it comes to toilets, nobody does them quite like Japan. Often times equipped with lights, multiple settings, and remote controls with more buttons than most modern day television remotes, Japan looks at toilets as a symbol of its world-renowned hospitality culture.
But even in Japan, the stigma surrounding public toilets exists; they can be dirty, stinky, and a place where one wants to spend as little time as possible. But now, thanks to The Tokyo Toilet project, 16 designers and architects from around the world are redesigning 17 public toilet locations throughout Shibuya to make it a much more pleasant experience when nature calls away from home.
Five toilet locations, including two from Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban, have already opened on July 31 and Aug. 7. Shigeru Ban’s designs, located in Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park and Haru-No-Ogawa Community Park, feature an all glass design that allows people to see from the outside if the restroom is clean, as well as if anyone is currently inside. Once a stall is locked, the glass turns opaque. At night, the restrooms light up like lanterns in the park.
Yoyogi Fukamachi mini park clear glass.
Yoyogi Fukamachi mini park opaque glass.
The restroom located in Ebisu East Park, designed by architect Fumihiko Maki, functions as both a public restroom and as a public space that serves as a park pavilion equipped with a rest area. A fourth restroom, located in Higashi Sanchome and designed by product designer Nao Tamura, features a completely red exterior with a design inspired by Origata, a traditional Japanese method of decorative wrapping. The restroom includes three separate spaces to redefine the way a public bathroom establishes personal space.
Ebisu East Park.
The fifth restroom, located in Ebisu Park and designed by interior designer Masamichi Katayama/Wonderwall, takes its inspiration from a Kawaya, a hut that stood over a river. The purposefully ambiguous space is simultaneously an object and a toilet by randomly combining 15 concrete walls. The spaces between the walls lead users into three different areas designed for men, women, and everyone.
All of the facilities will be maintained by the Nippon Foundation, the Shibuya City Government, and the Shibuya Tourism Association. The remaining facilities are tentatively scheduled to open between Sept. 7, 2020 and the end of 2021.
Higasi Sanchome.
Related Stories
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
Think you can recognize a metal building from the outside?
It’s getting more and more difficult to spot a metal building these days. What looks like brick, stucco or wood on the outside could actually be a metal building in disguise. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
Liberty Utilities protects installers with Viega MegaPress
Liberty Utilities of New Hampshire wanted a way to keep its installers safe without compromising the quality of their installations, which is why the utility provider decided to start installing Viega MegaPress. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Oct 13, 2014
Department of Agriculture launches Tall Wood Building Competition
The competition invites U.S. developers, institutions, organizations, and design teams willing to undertake an alternative solution approach to designing and building taller wood structures to submit entries for a prize of $2 million.
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Oct 10, 2014
A new memorial by Zaha Hadid in Cambodia departs from the expected
The project sees a departure from Hadid’s well-known use of concrete, fiberglass, and resin. Instead, the primary material will be timber, curved and symmetrical like the Angkor Wat and other Cambodian landmarks.
| Oct 9, 2014
Regulations, demand will accelerate revenue from zero energy buildings, according to study
A new study by Navigant Research projects that public- and private-sector efforts to lower the carbon footprint of new and renovated commercial and residential structures will boost the annual revenue generated by commercial and residential zero energy buildings over the next 20 years by 122.5%, to $1.4 trillion.
| Oct 9, 2014
More recession-postponed design projects are being resurrected, says AIA
About three quarters of the estimated 700 firms that serve as panelists on AIA’s Architectural Billings Index (ABI) had delayed or canceled major design projects in response to recessionary pressures. Nearly one-third of those firms now say they have since restarted stalled projects.
| Oct 9, 2014
Steven Holl's 'intersecting spheres' scheme for Taipei necropolis gets green light
The schematic design has been approved for the 50 000-sm Arrival Hall and Oceanic Pavilion for the Taiwan ChinPaoSan Necropolis.
| Oct 9, 2014
Beyond the bench: Meet the modern laboratory facility
Like office workers escaping from the perceived confines of cubicles, today’s scientists have been freed from the trappings of the typical lab bench, writes Perkins+Will's Bill Harris.
| Oct 8, 2014
New tools for community feedback and action
Too often, members of a community are put into a reactive position, asked for their input only when a major project is proposed. But examples of proactive civic engagement are beginning to emerge, write James Miner and Jessie Bauters.
