08/06: Tokyo
Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park Toilet
Designer: Shigeru Ban (Architect, born in 1957. Special Guest Professor, Shibaura Institute of Technology. Established Shigeru Ban Architects in 1985 and the Voluntary Architects Network in 1996. Renowned for his disaster relief work, including paper-tube architecture and partitioning systems for evacuation centres.)
Public park toilets often raise two common concerns for users: cleanliness and safety, particularly the fear that someone may be hiding inside. The architect addressed these issues through the concept of the “Transparent Tokyo Toilet.”
The facilities use instant-dimmable glass technology—panels of tempered glass layered with coloured and dimmable films. When electricity flows, the glass becomes opaque, a technology more commonly seen in office conference rooms. This allows users to see the interior before entering, ensuring cleanliness and safety, after which the walls become opaque for privacy.
Two versions were constructed along Inokashira Dori: one in cool tones and the other in warm tones. At night, the toilets glow like lanterns, adding a new visual presence to the surrounding parks.