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 contribution to the tokyo toilet project is a concrete structure under a bridge](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/snVKxpt7peTVnv8a5yW4Rk-415-80.jpg)
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.
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.
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.
Tokyo toilet by Tadao Ando
Tokyo toilet by Toyo Ito
Tokyo toilet by by Shigeru Ban
Tokyo toilet by Tomohito Ushiro
Tokyo toilet by Nao Tamura
Tokyo toilet by Masamichi Katayama
Tokyo toilet by Sato Kazoo
Tokyo toilet by Sato Kashiwa
Tokyo toilet by Kengo Kuma
Tokyo toilet by Takenosuke Sakakura
Tokyo toilet by NIGO®
Tokyo toilet by Fumihiko Maki
Tokyo toilet by Shigeru Ban
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
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.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Pace Tokyo is a flowing Sou Fujimoto experience that ‘guides visitors through the space’
Art gallery Pace Tokyo, designed by Sou Fujimoto in a Studio Heatherwick development, opens in the Japanese capital
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
How the Arc’teryx Tokyo Creation Centre is all about craft, openness and cross-pollination
Arc’teryx launches its Tokyo Creation Centre, a hub for craftsmanship designed by Torafu Architects, embodying the brand's ethos
By Daniel Scheffler Published
-
Shigeru Ban has perfected the art of enclosure
Taschen’s new XXL monograph, Shigeru Ban. Complete Works 1985 – Today, brings out the sheer diversity of the Japanese architect’s work
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Craft store Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten at Narita airport is an ode to travel
The Japanese homewear and craft store Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten wows with bright interior made of moveable ‘trunks’ by Tokyo-based studio 14sd designs
By Joanna Kawecki Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Space Un celebrates contemporary African art, community and connection in Japan
Space Un, a new art venue by Edna Dumas, dedicated to contemporary African art, opens in Tokyo, Japan
By Nana Ama Owusu-Ansah Published
-
Monospinal is a Japanese gaming company’s HQ inspired by its product’s world
A Japanese design studio fulfils its quest to take Monospinal, the Tokyo HQ of a video game developer, to the next level
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Modern Japanese houses inspiring minimalism and avant-garde living
We tour the best Japanese architecture and modern Japanese houses designed by international and local architects that open up possibilities for all types of lifestyle, from minimalist to communal in Japanese architecture.
By Ellie Stathaki Published