Washroom in the Woods
Exhibition
1-10 October 2022
Multi-purpose Hall, 3/F, City Gallery, Central, Hong Kong
Co-organised by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and Architectural Services Department
Design concept
In response to an open call to reimagine and innovate public toilet facilities, landscape designer Justin Lam and I designed a prototype based on hypothetical site specifications.
Washroom in the Woods is a contemporary interpretation of the toilet as a utility of repose and public health.
The modular design is characterised by an extensive canopy structure and replicable composite wooden panels of different sizes, simulating an urban jungle that regenerates by photosynthesis and enlivens its users.
The solar terrace roof, with its unconventional grid pattern, casts delightful shadows at different times of day.
The metal tree-like columns provide nature-looking shelter and transform radiation to produce alternative energy for toilet facilities. The columns can also serve as space-efficient bicycle racks along cycling tracks, reminiscent of bicycle parking by trees.
The toilet is fully equipped and accessible by users with special needs, incorporating male and female toilets, accessible toilets, universal toilets, toilet attendant rooms, and ancillary facilities.
A cover made of L-shaped composite wooden panels extends from the roof to the exterior for additional privacy. The cover is also vegetated with easy-growing, scented climbers that clear odour and moderate moisture in the toilet, while forming a remarkable feature wall.
Outside the toilet, the spacious area is an ideal location to promote civic education. Benches are widely spaced, such that the vicinity functions as a pocket park where users can stay, and as a healing landscape for the public to enjoy amenities despite social distancing in times of health crisis.
Image credits: Justin Lam