
Imagine seeing a public restroom in a park made of glass and you being able to see what’s inside of it. Would you go in them?
Unless you’re somewhat of an exhibitionist, wouldn’t you feel terrified knowing people can see from the outside? But maybe this would calm your nerves a bit.
Non-profit Nippon Foundation launched “The Tokyo Toilet Project,” tasking 16 well-known architects to renovate 17 public toilets located in the public parks of Shibuya, one of the busiest commercial areas of Tokyo.
According to Nippon Foundation, the mission was to apply innovative design to make public bathrooms accessible to all with the aim of making people feel comfortable using these public toilets and fostering a spirit of hospitality for the next.
So far, the most talked-about design comes from Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban, whose transparent restrooms popped up this month in Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park and the Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park.
“There are two concerns with public toilets, especially those located in parks; the first is whether it is clean inside, and the second is that no one is secretly waiting inside,” said The Nippon Foundation. The design relies on a new smart glass technology that turns the walls opaque when the restroom is occupied. Which means once the door is locked, no one from the outside can see what’s inside.
But some users have already said that they can’t really tell if the glass is opaque or not once they’re inside so take the risk, I guess? At least they’re pretty though and at night, they light up the parks like a beautiful lantern.
In the coming weeks, restrooms will open from architect Takenosuke Sakakura in Nishihara Itchome Park and Tadao Ando, yet another Pritzker Prize winner, in Jingu-Dori Park. The remainder of the project’s renovations are slated to open in the spring of 2021.




