Tokyo's Shibuya district contains 17 architect-designed public toilets completed in 2019, including designs by Shigeru Ban and Fumihiko Maki. The facilities were intended as symbols of Japanese hospitality and have been photographed and described as "works of art." Maintenance includes daily, monthly, and annual cleaning regimens plus regular inspections by third-party consultants. The upkeep emphasizes hygiene while elevating public amenities into deliberate examples of public design. The project links high-profile architecture, routine operational care, and cultural values to present public toilets as expressions of civic hospitality and artistic expression.
Public toilets can reveal a lot about a country's values, and Tokyo's Shibuya district offers a striking example. Designed by renowned architects like Shigeru Ban and Fumihiko Maki, 17 toilets were built in 2019 as symbols of Japan's hospitality, later captured in photographs by Ulana Switucha, who calls them "works of art." These facilities are meticulously maintained with daily, monthly, and annual cleaning routines, plus regular inspections by third-party consultants.
Designed by renowned architects like Shigeru Ban and Fumihiko Maki, 17 toilets were built in 2019 as symbols of Japan's hospitality, later captured in photographs by Ulana Switucha, who calls them "works of art." These facilities are meticulously maintained with daily, monthly, and annual cleaning routines, plus regular inspections by third-party consultants. Their upkeep reflects a commitment not just to hygiene, but to public design as a form of cultural and artistic expression.
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