Public Toilets: Pit Stop or Architectural Marvel?
This certainly isn’t a glamorous topic, but what designers and architects do with the most mundane and uninspiring structures, such as a public toilet, says a lot about people in general. Public toilets can be found in parks, train and bus stations, department stores, fire stations, restaurants, and more, but not all are created equal, nor are the equally accessible.
Given today’s wide availability of smartphones and apps including “Flush Toilet Finder,” it’s easier than ever to find toilets as well as review ratings on how clean and busy they are.
For those who don’t know such things, November 19th, 2015 was “World Toilet Day.” All around the world, governments and municipalities work hard to continually improve sanitation, comfort, and accessibility. The world’s governing body for toilets, if there is such as thing, is the WTO – not the world trade organization – but the World Toilet Organization (WTO), which keeps track of best practices in cleanliness, maintenance, and design.
DesignCurial‘s annual top 10 best designed public toilets in the world for 2015:
10. Gdansk – designed by Schleifer & Milczanowski Architects:
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Public-Toilets (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
- Public-Toilets (Image Courtesy www.china.org.cn)
9. Jinhua, China – designed by DnA Design Architecture:
Public Toilets Jinhua, China (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
8. Hiroshima, Japan – designed by Future Studio
Public Toilets Hiroshima (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
7. Uster, Switzerland – designed by Gramazio & Kohler
Public Toilets Switzerland (Image Courtesy www.china.org.cn)
6. London, UK – designed by Gort Scott
Public Toilets Gort Scott (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
5. Austin, Texas – designed by Miro Rivera Architects
Public Restrooms Trail Restroom (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
4. Lofoten, Norway – designed by Manthey Kula Architects
Public Toilets Roadside Reststop (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
3. Wellington, New Zealand – designed by Studio Pacific Architecture
Public Toilets Kumutoto (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
2. Miki-City, Japan – designed by Shuhei Endo Architect Institute
Public Toilets Miki-City (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
1. Sydney, Australia – designed by Lahz Nimmo Architects
Public Toilets Centennial Park (Image Courtesy www.designcurial.com)
