House of Toilet on Ibukijima Island, Japan by Daigo Ishii + Future-scape Architects

The symbolic or signifying functions of the public toilet are usually secondary, at the most speaking of civic generosity, or, more accidentally, of meanness and neglect. But why shouldn’t the smallest room commune with the cosmos, as in this public lavatory on the Japanese island of Ibukijima? Taking its cue from the sliced spaces of Daniel Libeskind, the structure – which appears similar to other local houses from the outside – is divided by imaginary lines stretching out beyond the borders of the tiny island to the wider world. Tracing vectors between the structure and global capitals such as New York, London and São Paulo, these slits divide it into separate lavatory pavilions, and allow natural light in at certain times of day. The building thereby becomes a sort of clock, and we are reminded that even the humblest functions of the human body are a part of vast natural systems. That should give visitors something to think about.