The world's 10 best public toilets for 2015
#7 Trail Restroom
Austin, Texas
Design: Miro Rivera Architects
Location: Austin, Texas
For the second year running this Texas trail restroom has made it into our definitive list.
Designed by Miro Rivera Architects, the Trail Restroom on the banks of the Colorado River in Austin, Texas is both a public toilet and a sculpture that relates to and enhances the landscape that surrounds it.
Image: Paul Bardagjy
The toilet - the first public restroom built in the park in over 30 years - was built by the Town Lake Trail Foundation, a community-based non-profit organization, in partnership with the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
Image: Paul Finkel/Piston Design
The design was conceived as a sculpture in a park, a dynamic object along the active trails. It consists of 49 vertical Corten steel plates whose width and height vary significantly. The panels are arranged along a 'spine' that coils at one end to form the restroom walls. The plates are staggered in size to control views and to allow for the penetration of light and fresh air. Both the door and roof were fabricated from steel plates.
Image: Paul Finkel/Piston Design
Main image courtesy of Paul Finkel/Piston Design
