The Library Toilets

Basic Concept

We don't tend to talk about toilets much, even though we all use them. According to research, the majority of people spend more than half-hour a day in the toilet, which is 182.5 hours per year. This makes the toilet an important place for people to go after sleeping, living, and working. In my opinion, a good toilet is more than just a little clean space for people’s hygiene needs. When people enter this tiny space and close the door, they actually become isolated from the outside world and enter a small corner that is just for them. It becomes an important place for spirituality and communication, where people can communicate in the same space at different times.  People could exchange second-hand books or items here, so they can read during the time in the toilet, and picking up books that interest them and taking the books away.

Traditional outdoor portable toilets are generally narrow and dim, and lack effective hygienic methods, making many people not willing to use these public toilets. At the same time, these toilets are evenly spaced in a single line which is not particularly appealing. 

Therefore, my idea was to create a concentric shape, a centralized organization that would make the entire function of construction efficient.

My initial idea was to design a circular construction. But after drawing it, I realized that with this dimension, the space with curvature would give a strong sense of oppression. Then I tried construction in the pentagon, but the totally identic spatial organization made the whole project monotonous and boring. 

Finally, I find the idea of using the relation between the solid and empty space to create a hexagonal shape spatial with five solids and one empty space. This means five public toilets with a small terrace for people to take a rest. This combination of different spaces makes the whole project interesting.

The idea of the material and details

The entire toilet structure is wood framed, with walls and floors made up of wooden panels, and the interior cabinets and shelves are all wooden furniture. All these technologies and materials ensure convenience during transport and efficiency during installation.

The idea is that the toilet can be adapted to any different situation site, with self-sufficiency. So the system of rainwater harvesting is important for conserving and storing the water supply. The concept is to capture the free water falling on the sloped roof and direct it to green space in the atrium.

The purpose of the phyto-purification system is to transform water falling down from the roof and the used water into water that can be reused. This system is based on the principle of separating solids from liquids by the plants as well as the bacterial degradation of particles. This plant-based filter consumes no electrical energy and doesn't need complex maintenance. 

The filtered water is stored in a water tank under the ground which could supply to the washbasin and flush toilet. This self-sufficient system allows for portable toilets without the need to be connected to the city water pipeline. This feature makes the installation of these public toilets independent of geographical limits. 

In my idea, there is no need for a special baby care room outside. We can do this in these public toilets. The foldable baby care table is normally folded away under the washbasin table. When a parent needs to change the baby’s diaper, this folding table can be opened in two parts to become a full baby care table.

There are double shelves in the toilets for exchanging books or second-hand items such as clothes, children’s toys, etc. These books and items could be freely taken or exchanged by users rather than organizing complex disposal events. Users can pick up a book and read it to pass the time while using the toilet. Also at the top of the bookshelf, a drawing board could be placed for users to share emotions or stories. All of these ideas are aimed at making the public toilets not only a place of hygiene but also a place where different peoples could communication and exchange with each other.

Modularity

As the main design approach, I aimed to create modular toilets which could be adapted to any conditions and geographical limits, such as a busy bus terminal, or in a peaceful park. These two analysis diagrams try to simulate these two completely different scenarios. The main point of the design is that these toilets don’t need to be connected to an existing city pipeline or a new pipeline system which needs to be built in the suburbs. The entire toilet has a complete self-sufficient water supply system.