Answer the call: 5 new public toilets

As sophisticated as we (think we) are as a species, there's no denying biology. That most necessary of public facilities, the toilet, is currently undergoing somewhat of a renaissance via unorthodox materials and environmentally responsible designs, in both urban and rural contexts.

By Invisible Studio, Madeline Bouton, Fortunen AS and

January 19, 2018 | 11:00 pm CUT

Banal in function, public toilets are charged sites; their presence or often lack thereof can be cause for discomfort and disruption, and even jeopardise health. But the potential of this, at times avoided and often overlooked, infrastructure is great. In their design lies the opportunity to promote not only sustainable waste management but also public health and social justice.

Toilets could be the next posterboys for change – they just need some vision. With eco-conscious designs and recontextualised materials, the architects behind this survey of recently completed projects help this pragmatic typology answer a higher calling.

Skjervet, Granvin, Norway, 2016 by Fortunen AS. Photos: Vidar Herre (top), Fortunen (above)

Skjervet

Granvin, Norway

2016

Fortunen AS

Clad in local stone, the cold exterior of this service building bares little resemblance to its restrooms’ warm, timber-lined interiors. The materials and colour scheme were carefully adapted to the Storelvi river and forest, which one can view through the glass floor-panels and full-height windows while using these roadside facilities.

Where is the toilet, please?, Ílhavo, Portugal, 2017 by M2.senos. Photos: Nelson Garrido

Where is the toilet, please?

Ílhavo, Portugal

2017

M2.senos

Portuguese office M2.senos covered this cemetery’s public toilets in a green ceramic tile to match the ground’s shrubbery. Their goal was to relate the necessary facilities to the site’s natural elements, rather than its constructed ones – namely, the chapel.

The Light Box, Thane, Teen Haath Naka, India, 2016 by Rohan Chavan. Photos: Rohan Chavan

The Light Box

Thane, Teen Haath Naka, India

2016

Rohan Chavan

Commissioned by social enterprise Agasti to design a public space for women to relieve themselves safely, architect Rohan Chavan arranged three toilets and a nursing room around a living tree and surfaced the floor in pink polyurethane.

Toilet in a Courtyard, Mumbai, India, 2017 by Rohan Chavan. Photos: Rohan Chavan

Toilet in a Courtyard

Mumbai, India

2017

Rohan Chavan

Echoing the plan for The Light Box, architect Rohan Chavan designed another public toilet with a courtyard, this time for daily commuters in Mumbai. The material palette, with coloured metal screens and limestone flooring, dialogues with that of the nearby railway station.

Long Drop, United Kingdom, 2016 by Invisible Studio. Photos: Invisible Studio

Long Drop

United Kingdom

2016

Invisible Studio

No-cost and no-impact, the Long Drop is a composting toilet designed by Invisible Studio for their workshop in the woods. The studio scavenged all the building and sheet materials, including the translucent red polycarbonate door.

Answer the call: 5 new public toilets

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