TOILET NO. 8 AT THE OSAKA KANSAI EXHIBITION

No one is exactly alike. Even such common principles have been generalized and standardized in planning studies aimed at efficiency and rationality. However, many people are still overlooked. This initiative re-examines the nature of toilets from this perspective. By providing a variety of toilets suited to individual characteristics, this initiative aims to meet a wide range of needs.
It began by questioning the "conventional meaning" of toilets

At the Expo, which will bring together people from all over the world, it is expected that more people will use this facility than in typical public toilets in Japan. Is it acceptable to have toilets that are only average for people of different races, faiths, cultural backgrounds, and physical abilities? The design of these toilets began with an awareness of these issues and included organizing numerous workshops and discussions with visually impaired people and wheelchair users. The design started by considering basic aspects such as the layout of the units, the orientation of the toilets, and the flow of people to the toilet stalls. The result is a series of toilets located in 14 small buildings of varying heights, capable of accommodating a wide range of uses.

Easy to use for wheelchair users and visually impaired people

The cluster of 14 buildings, mostly semi-circular, is located within a circular courtyard and divided into three areas: men's + unisex toilets, women's + unisex toilets, and a single unisex toilet (barrier-free toilet). The first two areas are surrounded by small buildings, and the entrances to the toilet stalls and private urinals must pass through a small, plaza-like space. The interiors of the toilet stalls are divided into three sizes: large enough for wheelchair access, medium for spaciousness, and small enough for visually impaired people to recognize the space within reach. The interior walls are not round, making it difficult to measure distances by feeling along the wall, but rather polygonal.