Public toilets have never been appealing to anyone. In fact, people avoid using them at all cost since they have a reputation for being dark and dirty. But what if we told you that this is about to change thanks to the new public toilets placed in the Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park in Tokyo?
They are very different from the traditional public toilet – they have see-through walls and doors and are lit with different colors. Designed by Shigeru Ban, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, these toilets are a game-changer since people can check out the cleanliness of the toilet from the outside without even having to go near the actual toilet.
But how can a public toilet be covered in a transparent glass?
It sounds very weird and not very practical, right? However, these toilets are actually made out of an opacity-changing “smart glass” meaning that when there is someone on the inside of the toilet and the toilet is locked properly, the tinted glass becomes frosted and opaque so that no one can see what is going on on the inside.
The idea behind these public toilets is to make them more welcoming for everyone.