Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has unveiled a toilet in Tokyo named A Walk in the Woods, which was designed to "to dispel the conventional image of public toilets".
The cedar-clad toilet is Kuma's contribution to the Nippon Foundation's Tokyo Toilet project, which has seen public toilets designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winners Tadao Ando, Shigeru Ban and Fumihiko Maki in the city's Shibuya area.
Kengo Kuma has designed a public toilet clad with cedar
Built to replace an existing brick toilet block within Nabeshima Shoto Park, the toilet was designed to integrate with the park's trees and lush greenery.
"There were many potential sites for this project, but I chose Nabeshima Shoto Park because it has the lushest greenery and I thought I would be able to dispel the conventional image of public toilets," explained Kuma. The toilet was designed to integrate with the park's trees
Rather than creating a single block, Kuma broke down the facility into five huts that are connected by a stepped walkway that gives the project its name ? A Walk in the Woods.
"In addition to the toilets, I designed the path that creates a line of flow, with the hope of offering a total experience that encompasses the surrounding environment as well as the structures."
The five blocks are divided by footpaths
The blocks are covered in cedar louvres, which are also used to create edges to the walkway and stairs.
Each one contains an individual toilet that was la...