Keihinjimia Tsubasa Park Bathroom Restoration Project was awarded the Golden Pin Design Award – Best Award
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The public restrooms and “azumaya (Japanese gazebo)” at Tsubasa Park were rebuilt integrally.
Locating just across from the Tokyo International Airport (HND), the park is known for attracting airplane enthusiasts where one can observe commercial flights landing and taking off without the interference of the building structures.
Even in Japan, public restrooms are “dirty, stinky, and closed” places where you want to avoid them at all costs. Our challenge is to change this perception entirely. In order to reverse these three drawbacks, we placed additional functions, such as benches, stools, and an observation platform under the extended eaves. Space is opened to users to relax and enjoy the view of the sea and airplanes while waiting for friends and families.
Instead of typical blue-for-HIM, a red-for-HER color assignment that has been historically used for restroom signage (particularly in Japan), we choose to use achromatic colors for the pictogram and non-gender assigned colors (such as orange and yellow) for wall tiles of the restroom stall. This “gender-neutral” public signage and its coloring is a relatively new concept in Japan. Through this public park restroom, visitors experience such an idea firsthand.
Tokyo, the capital with a diverse population, should welcome all residents and visitors from the world with open arms. The same goes for the public park restrooms.