IF YOU need to spend a penny in style and have the time to spare, head for the public toilets at Sydney’s Centennial Park, which have been named one of 10 best-designed dunnies in the world.
Beating off thousands of competitors, the amenities have made it into design website DesignCurial’s annual award for the second year running, coming in at 10th.
Toilets were judged on design, innovation and the building’s relationship with its surroundings.
The website said of the Centennial Park amenity, designed by Lahz Nimmo Architects:
“The male and female toilets are divided into two pavilions linked by a continuous roof.
“The space created between the pavilions acts as a central entry point to the amenities.
“The hand washbasins take the form of a polished concrete trough and are located in this central communal space providing a unique experience for the user to wash their hands and look out to the Park.
“This external communal room also provides a reassuring sense of security, surveillance and shelter during rain."
Heading the list is Norway’s Stegastein lookout amenities, designed by Todd Saunders and Tommie Wilhelmsen, which is set over the edge of one of Norway’s largest fjords.
Also in the top three were the transparent toilets from Olivier Rambert in Lausanne, Switzerland, highlighted by its transparency during vacancy and opaqueness once locked, and New Zealand’s Kumutoto toilets in Wellington from Studio Pacific Architecture that look similar to a robotic dinosaur.
"The aim of the list was to bring international design to the fore, especially unique architecture that may be overlooked due to the structure’s mundane stereotype," said Katherine Houston, web editor at DesignCurial.
"With Australia featuring on the list for the second year running, it shows the country continues to be at the forefront of international design."
World’s 10 Best Public Toilets
1. Stegastein Lookout, Aurland, Norway
2. Transparent Toilets, Lausanne, Switzerland
4. L'Uritonnoir sustainable toilet, France
5. Retractable urinals: UriLift, London, UK, Amsterdam, Netherlands
6. Wembley WCs, London, UK
7. Trail Restroom Austin, Texas
8. Tokinokura Lavatories Shimodate, Chikusei City, Japan
9. Public toilets, Uster, Switzerland
For more information on the toilets, go to:
