Public toilets around the globe have a reputation for being dark, dirty and dangerous.Tokyo
recently unveiled new restrooms in two public parks that aim to address those concerns.For
one thing,they are brightly lit and colorful.For another,they are transparent.This way,those
who need to go can check out cleanliness and safety of the stalls without having to walk inside
or touch anything.
Japan has long experimented with toilets,resulting in lids that open and close automatically
and seats that warm up.But the new stalls-designed by Shigeru Ban,the Prizker Prize-winning
architect-are made out of an opacity-changing"smart glass".
The toilets were installed in Tokyo this month,coinciding with a nationwide campaign to phase
out the city's old-fashioned public toilets ahead of the now-delayed Summer Olympics.Set up in
front of a cluster of trees in the Shibuya district,the stalls stand out like a Mondrian painting.
When occupied and locked properly,the tinted glass toilet stalls become frosted and opaque.
When the door is unlocked,an electric current realigns the crystals in the glass to allow more
light to pass through,creating a transparent effect.The toilets were presented as another futuristic
and aesthetically pleasing example of the country's technological advancements.
A predecessor to Tokyo's transparent toilets appeared in Switzerland in 2002,when designer Oliver
Rambert unveiled two glass bathrooms in the city of Lausanne.They had a safety feature that
automatically opened the doors and turned the glass transparent if sensors detected no motion
for 10 minutes.That could conceivably help users who fall unconscious and need medical attention.