sou fujimoto places a public toilet in a secluded garden

the communal bathroom is notably one of the smallest ‘public’ spaces, despite being both confined and private. japanese architect sou fujimoto took on the challenge of designing a toilet that, while still being closed, offered an openness in the context of its railway station-adjacent site in ichihara-city, chiba.

the public lavatory is set within a lush 200 square meter garden of trees and flowers
image by iwan baan (also main image) | all images courtesy of sou fujimoto architects

taking the picturesque location into consideration, sou fujimoto conceived two units — one for unisex use and people with disabilities, and the other for women only. the project merges the notions of public and private, opened and closed, nature and built architecture, and smallness and largeness.

for privacy, a log roll fence has been installed around the glass box toilet
image by iwan baan

the result is a lavatory inside a glass box that has been placed in the middle of a 200 square meter garden planted with trees and flowers. this provides occupants a serene view while using the facilities. to combat the issue of seclusion, a 2 meter tall wooden log roll fence has been placed around the perimeter. a small pathway has been cleared away among the lush foliage, to reach the outhouse. this multi-layering and divergence of internal and external boundaries converge into one another while maintaining a certain ambiguity that suggests a primitive form of architecture.

the public toilet is positioned next to itabu station in ichihara-city, chiba
images by iwan baan

one enters the toilet through a wooden log fence
image by iwan baan

the fence is 2 meters in height
image by iwan baan

approach to the public toilet in ichihara
image by iwan baan

site plan
image courtesy of sou fujimoto architects

section
image courtesy of sou fujimoto architects

visualization of the public toilet in ichihara
image courtesy of sou fujimoto architects