The Hatagaya public toilet is situated at the corner of a crowded intersection. While it offers a high ceiling of approximately five meters, its greatest attribute is a view of the town from its wide-open space, which is intended to be usable for exhibits, pop-up kiosks and other benefits to the local community. I was thrilled to participate in this project because of its unique reversal of the toilet concept, namely, rather than “adding an additional function to a public toilet” it “combines a public toilet with an additional functional space.” I also saw the process of surveying the use of existing toilets and calculating the most efficient number of toilets to use, and felt the importance of not only rebuilding with style, but also improving upon current issues.

In the basic design we received, the angles of the metal panels that make up the frame were precisely calculated to two decimal places. In addition, the design of the structure takes into consideration lines of traffic and sight, given its adjacent park, and leading up to that, a stairway, as well as slit windows at the rear of the building and other features. We made minor adjustments based on the basic design, and then created a final design that would allow construction to proceed more smoothly.

The white wall, which also serves as a screen, is imbued with the meticulous nature of its creator. We even examined where we would position a single screw, and paid utmost attention to the precision of the detailed design and construction. We were able to complete the building with no boundaries between the inside with its open spaces and the outside of the building, where the walls flow seamlessly. The shape of the roof is also exceedingly complex, folding in three dimensions in some places, and the fine fitting is a point that we really hope people will take a close look at.

By pulling a pole up from the floor of the open space, a wooden seat can be extended to form a bench, and these positions can be freely rearranged. The former dark image has been transformed, and people who had previously walked along the sidewalk now use the open space as a shortcut. At night, the lit-up building looks like one big light illuminating the intersection. Toilets are not a main attraction, but they should have a cheerful atmosphere for the neighborhood residents. This is what the creator and other people involved in the project dreamed for, and their vision came to fruition in fine form.