Concrete blocks ‘floating’ in Tokyo

Suppose Design Office has designed a toilet located next to the entrance of Sendagaya station, at the foot of an overpass near the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, impressing with the image of a ‘floating concrete block’. ‘ in the middle of the street.

Built before the announcement of the postponement of the Olympics, this public toilet was added to serve passengers at Sendagaya Station and those visiting the National Stadium designed by Kengo Kuma for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The architects aim to design a small project with a big impact: “ We want to use simplicity to create impact and the solution here is height. Normally they look very heavy, but this time the walls don’t touch the ground, they float, elegant, like a work of art “. The toilet block is 7.5m high, almost twice the height of the station entrance, combined with a monolithic concrete facade that makes the work quite massive. The concrete walls are attached to the central columns and are about 50cm above the ground, creating an opening, allowing natural light and air to enter. The architects design the space using contrasting relationships with each other, such as “the feeling of floating of heavy concrete” and “the presence of light in the dark”, which we seek to eliminate. boundaries between people and buildings, creating a resonance between nature and architecture. The building has an area of ​​75m2, the entrance is located opposite the station. In the position of the door, we feel more clearly the suspension of the concrete block. The central area is a wash basin and male and female toilets are arranged on both sides. To create the feeling of “being at a hotel”, the architects used Akoya wood (which is 3 times stronger than natural wood with exclusive technologies) to make the partitions and signage made of wood. transparent copper to create a luxurious feeling. A long skylight is arranged along the building to get light from the roof. “ Taking in the light from above and ensuring ventilation through the opening below, we aim to create an architecture that allows people to experience the space and not just go to the public toilet “, the architects explained, adding: “ We think this is a collective effort to help revive the city before the Olympics. The building is also similar in size to regular toilets, giving it a familiar feel. On the other hand, people tend to think of unclean images of public toilets, so we want to improve this and turn the building into a work of art.” Project information: Design: Suppose Design Office Structure: Ohno Japan Material: ZO Consulting Engineers Contractors: Tatsu (ZEN hol) Light design: ModuleX Translate: Hoang Anh