#6 : Transparent Toilet

Image courtesy of Daniela Tonatiuh

Designer: Olivier Rambert; Oloom

Location: 'Quartier du Flon' Lausanne, Switzerland

This public toilet in Switzerland is one of the most nerve-wracking conveniences we've come across. The transparent toilet's design has been created with a LCD Privacy glass, meaning the walls will only turn opaque once the door is locked. The process works by allowing electricity to pass through the glass when it is transparent, but blocking the charge when the glass is opaque.

Image courtesy of Daniela Tonatiuh

The design was meant as a social experiment, testing the courage of the public toilet's users; the designer, Olivier Rambert, has also created a second set of transparent public toilets - 10 in a row, this time - in Lausanne's 'Ouchy Harbour'. Both facilities include a special feature that works to keep users safe, in the instance that they fall unconscious within the room: 'If someone falls unconscious and they don't move for 10 minutes, the door will open and the toilet will become transparent [so they can be helped],' said Rambert.

Image courtesy of Olivier Wavre