Architectural Design (idea, concept, feasibility, and schematic design)

Total GFA: imaginary site

A Digitally Breathing Mirror

Conventionally, public toilets impose an unwelcoming image, and sometimes create an unpleasant social barrier.  In this age of digital technology and big data, public toilets designed in MIC are enhanced with the installation of interactive digital media. The public toilet is given a digital “face/life”, that breathes between its internal use and its external environment.

By incorporating sensors and application of digitally transformed and processed data into multimedia representation such as video, imagery and sounds, the public toilet becomes both receiver and interactive display. It exchanges information with the use of public toilet and its external environment. The interaction between interior and exterior is changing with time. The notional boundary of the public toilet is dissolved, by means of public ART.

1. Exhaling from in to out

The act of going to a public toilet is mapped as a series of different rituals like walking into the toilet, washing hands, looking into mirrors and flushing the toilet. By collecting data generated from these usages, the data is digitally processed and represented on the external digital display as images. Users of public toilets are always participating in the representation and the public toilet is displayed in its context.

2. Inhaling from out to in

On the contrary, the experience of going to a public toilet is enhanced/enriched/enlightened with processed data collected from people movement and its external environment such as rain, temperature, air movement, daylight, noise, birds flying ahead etc. The external environment is constantly feeding changing data and processed into sounds and images inside the toilet.

3. Forming a breathing network

The proposed public toilets at 3 different locations may collectively form a network with wireless data with cloud. Collected data can be transmitted and further exchanged between the 3 public toilets and each public toilet becomes part of the experience to the other 2.  The digital networking can be further expanded into multiple nodes with public toilets to be built at other locations. This networking forms a public toilet community.

Creating Scenic moments

1. Interactive Site 1, In the Hill (Country Park) - Growing images of seasonal flowers blossom and planting take up the entire interacting façade of the public toilet. Movement and toilet usage induce more flower blossoms. The images also react to time of day, sunset and sunrise.

2. Interactive Site 2, By the Sea (Pier) - Changing and flowing water imagery is captured on the external face of the public toilet in constant response to data collected from users’ movements in the public toilet. The water images also react to people movement and by doing so, the public toilet user and people passing by are constantly interacting with each other, collectively creating the water movement.

3. Interactive Site 3, On the Earth (bus terminal) - Activated by public toilets, computer-controlled human silhouettes like holograms are programmed to create responses. On the contrary, 3D terrain, where the silhouettes are sitting on, is generated from pedestrian or traffic movement and micro-climate outside the public toilet. Constantly, the 2 add together to give the moving images.