In the Indian city of Thane, architect and designer Rohan Chavan has built a female public restroom called 'The Light Box' that intentionally encourages socializing. The small, three-meter by nine-meter toilet enclosure is built around a gnarled tree on the streets of Thane, and it contains four females-only toilets that surround a bright pink "waiting area" for other women.
The space is designed to encourage socialization between women using the facilities. Beyond the pink waiting area, the toilets themselves have no doors, and can be accessed by rounding a series of walls that block view of them from the street, allowing for easier conversation.
The Light Box was commissioned by Agasti, an organization that is dedicated to improving the safety and quality of public toilets across India.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Social Public Restrooms
- Design public restrooms to intentionally encourage socializing to improve health and well-being
- Gender-specific Restroom Design
- Create more restrooms specifically for women to improve safety and quality of public toilets
- Transparent Restroom Design
- Design more open and transparent restrooms to promote socializing and ease of use
Industries Being Reshaped
- Architectural Design
- There is an opportunity to transform public restrooms with innovative designs that promote socializing and improve safety
- Public Health
- Designing public restrooms to encourage socializing can also promote mental health and improve overall well-being
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Organizations like Agasti can continue to improve the quality of public restrooms and promote innovative designs for the benefit of the community
