tokyo toilet's 15th addition triples as an outdoor cinema and recreational playground

The 15th Tokyo Toilet by Miles Pennington

designboom attended The Tokyo Toilet’s 15th project inauguration on February 22nd at Hatagaya, Shibuya in Tokyo, and witnessed how its design veers from being only a restroom for public use. Miles Pennington and DLX Design Lab of the University of Tokyo imagine The Tokyo Toilet in more ways than one as the design takes cues from a camera’s viewfinder with its large entrance that shelters the visitors in its nook.

designboom saw how the spacious area is thoroughly designed for multipurpose uses such as an outdoor cinema, boutique stalls, and recreational playground for people of all ages and business owners of various kinds. The 15th Tokyo Toilet poses as a new hang-out space. A semi-circular chain of wooden seats comfortably accommodates visitors who want to rest for a while after a long walk or just sit after using the public restroom.

The idea of community ties in with the way the seating shape forms a loop, and the spacing is wide enough for the visitors to have respectable individual distances. As of publishing the story, the opening of the 15th Tokyo Toilet to the public is still underway, but its construction has been completed and is more than ready to usher in visitors.

all images and header video© designboom

Above the communal seating, light bulbs in silver casings bursts a white glow at night to illuminate the space. The white hue bathes the space to bring out the very-visible bathroom signs plastered on the automated doors. To play with the palettes, the design team coats the rear part of the 15th Tokyo Toilet with a shade of gray to mimic the buildings and streets that surround the public restroom.

The toilets are concealed inside one of the three triangular-shaped restrooms boxed in behind the walls. The automated doors slide open when the visitor clicks on the button found before entering the bathrooms. Inside, they are greeted with a silver-clad lavatory setting that gets disrupted by the white accents of the toilet, sinks, and rods. Here, the design team continues with the white paint to enliven the surroundings.

image © designboom

multipurpose restroom and venue for all

The Tokyo Toilet, Miles Pennington, and the DLX Design Lab encourage creative uses of public space by turning their collaborative project into a myriad of multipurpose offerings. A projector can be installed either on the ceiling or on the upper side of one of the walls to flash movies and shows on the blank white wall, instantly converting the shelter-like entrance into an outdoor cinema experience.

Artists and curators looking to hang or paste their artworks for general viewing may even use the space and co-share the 15th Tokyo Toilet for their creative ventures. Thanks to the white paint over the interior, a sense of brightness follows and flows, creating a visible environment to prevent eye strain or a too-dark atmosphere.

Boutiques and shop stalls can also join the exhibition wagon as the spacious floor area cater to receive potential buyers and passersby who want to check out the items being sold. Food trucks seem possible too, and if the visitors have had too many snacks or consumed drinks, they don’t need to worry about scrambling for a toilet to relieve themselves.

image © designboom