#8 : Uster Public Toilets

Design: Gramazio & Kohler

Location: Uster, Switzerland

Developed in the city of Uster in 2011, this public toilet was a prototype for a new type of urban infrastructure which was being installed, in variations, throughout the city in the  years that followed. The parametric design can adapt to changing building sizes and shapes, as well as through its colour scheme, to the surrounding area.

Resembling reptile scales, the façade is composed of nearly 300 hand-folded, vertically-arranged aluminum strips which can be transformed and change colour. Depending on the sun, as well as the observer's position, the design generates a shimmering effect, drawing attention to the public toilet instead of away from it. 

Pictures: ©Gramazio & Kohler