The architecture of public toilets: a measure of accessibilty

What is the measure of accessibility in contemporary democratic so-cieties? Of course there isn’t one type of measure only, nor one way only to answer this question. Among the many and different measures that can be used to shed light on this issue, I have chosen architecture. This is because the noun ‘architecture’ is part of the phrase ‘architec-tural barriers’ which constitute a very tangible obstacle in terms of ac-cessibility of spaces and environments for people with disabilities. I haven’t chosen however to talk about the architecture of huge buildings or prestigious ones, nor the architecture of urban or residential infra-structures to discuss accessibility in contemporary democratic socie-ties. Instead, in relation to the topic of accessibility and the measure of it, I have chosen the architecture of something that is apparently more modest but at the same time highly representative, namely, the architec-ture of public toilets. The care and attention to detail when designing these small buildings are an indicator of the attention paid to any other architectural design considered more important in terms of use and size. The Nippon Foun-dation’s The Tokyo Toilet project has shown how these specific con-structions are a significant measure of accessibility. This Foundation has built new public toilet facilities in 17 different points of the Shibuya district in Tokyo with the goal of “moving toward the realization of a society that embraces diversity”. Strategy and architectures that were poeticized (and elevated as cinematographic work of art) in Perfect Days by Wim Wenders. The architecture of the Shibuya public toilets as portrayed by Wenders shows, through the daily routine of the main character, that the real barriers are the immaterial ones and call for more complex solutions. Material barriers on the other hand, can be easily removed. In both cases (material and immaterial barriers) the present chapter, after having shown the multiplicity of the immaterial barriers, will illus-trate the architectural solutions to both types of problems. Architecture can in fact be both the measure and the remedy to most of the obstacles that hinder accessibility in our contemporary democratic societies, working toward a model of society where we are all equal through our diversity.