TaiKoo Hui Sustainable Design Washroom
A bright grotto – a contemporary abstraction of nature – to refresh shoppers amidst delicate garments and dazzling commodities, is our design concept for this underground toilet.
Situated in the commercial center of Guangzhou China, the TaiKoo Hui is a mixed use complex incorporating a shopping mall, two Grade-A office towers, a hotel, and serviced apartment. The shopping mall receives tens of thousands of visitors daily, and its amenity facilities require an upgrade. The sustainable design washroom aims to raise the environmental awareness in the public realm and to become the role model of sustainability in the commercial & retail sector. The design aims to tie back to nature, formally as well as environmentally. Sustainability, spatial sculpting and human comfort drive the whole design.
The toilet is expressed as a bright grotto – a contemporary abstraction of nature. The new washbasin counter curves up to join the wall and ceiling as one integral piece, with a tree-shaped icon echoing to its collection of grey water for irrigation.
The original wall furring was removed to reveal the structure. The ‘found’ round and tilted square columns are painted to form a homogeneous white mass to engage the space with unique shape and angle that hint the underlining structures.
Water-less urinal, water-saving WC & vacuum toilet are applied to largely save water and to reduce waste volume.
Integrated water tap cum hand dryer product is installed for sustainability and cleanness: it avoid dripping water on counter-top and floor, save spaces and paper towels.
Indoor plants are grown above human level for better management and tidiness. Pots are hidden inside the GRG furring, to enable the plants to form pure strokes of green.
The white and ‘cyclorama’ setting gives a bright and clean ambient, and to eliminate possible dark, dirty edges.
The toilet forms a whole integrated grotto space, with a playful sense of hide-and-seek. The floor is a newly-casted dark grey terrazzo stone, with golden chips crushed from the original sandstone and grey tiles.
The design utilizes the original efficient layout to minimize structural and piping alteration. Wall furring was removed, the ‘found’ round and tilted square columns engage the space with unique shape and angle.
Baby-caring room
Looking from the entrance, the kinked passed and the simplified version of arches continue the grotto idea. A full-height pattern of simple geometry marks the entrance. Arched openings of varying heights lead to the individual rooms – higher ones for the baby-caring room, and lower ones for the kids’ toilets.
Magnified patterns gives a sense of playfulness for the baby-caring room, while light grey tiles and simple arches make the small passage look spacious and light.
Each room consists of a simple geometry or theme, as a self-contained world for the family and the kids. Mirrors for the children toilets are shaped according to the geometry of the individual rooms.
The original layout is given minimum alterations to allow for a seating area and an additional baby-caring room. The whole facility is a collection of rooms of patterns within a white grotto.