INSIGHTS

2022.12.22

R&D WORKS Vol. 22

Nagomuma restroom

A refreshing office toilet.

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As many companies explore new ways of working, improving the workspace environment is one of the key issues. In addition to office spaces, attention is now being paid to how to create spaces where people can refresh themselves. Cafes and lounges are now being actively designed to improve work performance and generate communication that will lead to breakthroughs. Apart from office spaces, restrooms are the most private space. There is room for these spaces to be further developed as spaces for refreshment, and they are places where this can be most effective. Here is one example of this initiative, which has just begun.

The evolution of private booths

TOKYO TORCH's first project, Tokiwabashi Tower, has a commercial zone from the basement to the third floor, with a cafe lounge on the third floor. It is a valuable space for the tower's office workers to relax and communicate. The toilets on that floor were also designed as a space for relaxation to enrich their off-time.

Within an office space, the restroom is the ultimate private space. So we first reexamined the private booths, which are the core of private space. Rather than simply being a space to relieve oneself, we enhanced the functions to support users, making them a place to groom oneself and refresh one's mind. First of all, we equipped them with automatic faucets and automatic soap dispensers. The washbasin is spacious enough to take into account the surrounding storage space, and a mirror is also installed. In order to ensure this spaciousness, we changed the shape of the booth from the usual square to a hexagon. The resulting spaciousness creates a psychological sense of expansion and envelopment, enhancing the relaxing effect.

The booth also has lighting installed on the ceiling, floor and mirrors, and the brightness and color temperature are automatically controlled by sensors along with sound. The booth also features four unique designs to expand the range of choices for users, making it a favorite place to be.

The interiors of the private rooms are designed according to four themes.
Floor plan of the booth.

Flexible plan/IoT management

One of the most difficult aspects of restroom planning is the ratio of male to female volumes. The ratio of male to female booths is determined based on the gender of users gathering on the floor and the level of congestion, but when facility usage changes, this balance is often thrown off. To address this issue, some restroom booths are fitted with two doors, and flexible booths that open to either the male or female side are installed. One side can be locked to prevent people from passing through, and the booth can be switched to either the male or female side, making it possible to change the male to female ratio at any time. The hexagonal plan makes it easy to add doors to two sides.

Tokiwabashi Tower 3F "MY Shokudo" area men's and women's restroom layout (left) / Entrance to the flexible booth (center) / Interior of the flexible booth (right)

IoT technology has also been introduced to manage the situation inside the booths, which cannot be seen from the outside. Digital management of toilet availability, soap level, temperature settings for the faucets and toilet seats, usage status, etc. is being used to optimize cleaning and plan repairs. Vacancy display signage has also been installed, allowing users to see at a glance which booths are vacant.

Signage installed at the entrance (left) / Example of signage showing booth availability (right)

Nagomuma restroom

Technology used | TOTO Public Restroom Facility Management Support System
For more information, TOTO Corporation website Please see.

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