Marc Newson unveils the final Tokyo Toilet project design

World-renowned Australian industrial designer Marc Newson has revealed his contribution to the Nippon Foundation’s ongoing The Tokyo Toilet public design project. Located in the capital’s tourist-heavy Shibuya ward, the Urasando toilet completes the project’s offering of 17 facilities placed across the commercial district beginning in 2020. Photo: Satoshi Nagare, courtesy of The Nippon FoundationThe design for the public restroom was inspired by elements central to vernacular Japanese architecture. Using a copper Minoko roof common to tea rooms, shrines, and other rural spaces, the concrete structure’s form engenders a “subconscious feeling of comfort and peacefulness” while providing users with an accessible facility whose material selection will, over time, help it blend into the urban fabric of the neighborhood. Photo: Satoshi Nagare, courtesy of The Nippon FoundationAs Newson explains: “It is important to me that the Toilet feels trustworthy and honest inside and out: The bright...