Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park Toilet
Shigeru Ban · Tokyo, Japan · 2020
Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park Toilet, designed by Shigeru Ban, is one of the best-known works in THE TOKYO TOILET project. Its transparent colored glass walls become opaque when the restroom is occupied, directly addressing concerns about safety, cleanliness, and whether a public toilet is already in use. The design turns a practical need into a clear architectural idea: openness when empty, privacy when occupied. Located in a community park, the building acts as both a public amenity and a vivid urban object. Its use of smart glass technology made it internationally recognizable and helped communicate the project’s wider ambition of changing the image of public toilets in Japan. The result is a small structure with unusually high cultural impact, combining accessibility, hygiene, trust, and visual delight.