Japanese officials red-faced as hi-tech public toilets malfunction, exposing users
- The public toilets each comprise three glass cubes that use ‘smart glass’ to instantly turn opaque once the door is locked from the inside
- Officials have blamed the failure on recent cold weather causing particles within the glass to harden and delaying the frosting effect
Users of state-of-the-art public toilets in central Tokyo have been caught with their trousers down after the technology designed to “frost” the see-through glass walls when the door is locked malfunctioned.
The public toilets, located in two parks in the Shibuya district, each comprise three glass cubes that use “smart glass” to instantly turn opaque once the door is locked from the inside.
The glass is designed to return to being transparent once the door is unlocked, but city authorities were summoned when it was reported that the glass panels were not functioning. Officials have blamed the failure on recent cold weather causing particles within the glass to harden and delaying the frosting effect.
The problem has left Shibuya ward officials red-faced.
The two toilets were designed by Shigeru Ban, winner of the 2014 Pritzker Prize for architecture, and opened to the public in July 2020 as part of Shibuya’s efforts to replace old and unpleasant facilities with modern conveniences.
Part of The Tokyo Toilet project, organised in conjunction with The Nippon Foundation, the public and media were intrigued by the facilities and Ban’s thinking behind the design.
Outlining his concept on the foundation’s website, Ban identified two concerns with public toilets, especially those in parks.