Tokyo Toilet project gets Marc Newson addition

The Tokyo Toilet project has a new addition, a Marc Newson-designed facility in the heart of the city’s Shibuya district

marc newson's design from the tokyo toilet project
(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

The celebrated Tokyo Toilet project offered prolific designer Marc Newson his first opportunity to create a public facility. It might not come as a surprise that this relatively niche request came from Japan, a country famous and, some might say even obsessed, with its loos. Newson was asked to design a public toilet in the Shibuya ward as part of an initiative launched by the city and the Japan Foundation to revamp 17 of Tokyo’s public toilets, which were badly in need of a makeover. He joins an impressive line-up of mostly Japanese architecture and design professionals, such as Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma and Sou Fujimoto.

marc newson's design in the dark, as part of the tokyo toilet project

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

Tokyo Toilet: a design by Marc Newson

The location for Newson’s toilet couldn’t be more quintessentially 'Tokyo' – tucked away below the Tokyo Metropolitan Highway in a tight spot between two roads. The exterior offers nods to traditional Japanese architecture, such as a copper Minoko roof and a natural stone foundation. The walls are made of poured concrete giving the toilet a distinct modern look.

marc newson toilet interior from the tokyo toilets project

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

Inside, however, the toilet looks distinctly futuristic – almost like the inside of a UFO or spaceship. The walls, ceiling and floor are all kept in the same blue-green shade and have been illuminated by indirect lighting at the junction between the ceiling and the walls, creating a bright and pleasant environment. Meanwhile, a state-of-the-art Toto toilet provides the necessary equipment for a comfortable experience. 

Tokyo Toilet: the full list of designs

Designers from across the country, as well as abroad, have contributed to the Tokyo Toilet project since its inception in 2020. Contributors so far include Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Tomohito Ushiro, Masamichi Katayama, Kengo Kuma, Junko Kobayashi, Takenosuke Sakakura, Kashiwa Sato, Kazoo Sato, Nao Tamura, Nigo, Marc Newson, Shigeru Ban (who has designed two), and Fumihiko Maki. More contributions, by Sou Fujimoto and Miles Pennington, are currently underway, with the next instalment set to launch in spring. 

tadao ando designed tokyo toilet

Tokyo toilet by Tadao Ando

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

futuristic tokyo toilet

Tokyo toilet by Toyo Ito

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

shigeru ban designed tokyo toilet in blue and green transparencies

Tokyo toilet by by Shigeru Ban

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

while simple tokyo toilet

Tokyo toilet by Tomohito Ushiro

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

bright red tokyo toilet

Tokyo toilet by Nao Tamura

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

Ebisu(Katayama)

Tokyo toilet by Masamichi Katayama

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

round tokyo toilet pavilion

Tokyo toilet by Sato Kazoo

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

ethereal tokyo toilet

Tokyo toilet by Sato Kashiwa

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

timber tokyo toilet

Tokyo toilet by Kengo Kuma

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

tokyo toilet project white pavilion

Tokyo toilet by Takenosuke Sakakura 

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

white tokyo toilet with green window frames

Tokyo toilet by NIGO®

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

tent like tokyo toilet

Tokyo toilet by Fumihiko Maki

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

warm coloured shigeru ban design by tokyo toilet project

Tokyo toilet by Shigeru Ban

(Image credit: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation)

tokyotoilet.jp 

marc-newson.com 

Originally from Denmark, Jens H. Jensen has been calling Japan his home for almost two decades. Since 2014 he has worked with Wallpaper* as the Japan Editor. His main interests are architecture, crafts and design. Besides writing and editing, he consults numerous business in Japan and beyond and designs and build retail, residential and moving (read: vans) interiors.