tato architects take on the toilet

‘hut with the arc wall’ by tato architects, shodoshima island, japan
image © ken’ichi suzuki
all images courtesy of tato architects

this year, japanese firm tato architects have participated in the setouchi art festival in shodoshima, japan, with the installation of a public restroom at the native ‘place of sauce’ (hishio-no-sato) – the site of the original soy sauce manufacturer that still utilizes the traditional recipe. using the historical context as a starting point, the timber cabin roof covers a more delicate sinuous curving wall underneath, alluding to the rounded cedar barrels in the aging warehouse. a combination of smoked and glass tiles on the exterior of the canopy create an appropriate aesthetic within the suburban context. a continuous curving white wall meanders through the footprint creating pockets of space and framing the men’s and women’s areas. during the day, the structure looks unassuming, a continuation of the tile-roofed landscape, while at night the light from the interior glows through the translucent panels revealing its contemporary design.

front elevation
image © ken’ichi suzuki

image © ken’ichi suzuki

entry
image © ken’ichi suzuki

view into the bathroom
image © ken’ichi suzuki

curving wall forms fluid hallways
image © ken’ichi suzuki

translucent roof allows diffuse light inside
image © ken’ichi suzuki

roof tiles at night
image © ken’ichi suzuki

image © ken’ichi suzuki

floor plan / level 0

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