Join us on Friday, April 11th, as we hear from Grayson Schoenbine. Public restrooms are not often seen as the pinnacle of architecture. Though they address a basic human need shared by all, the design of this facet of public infrastructure is often lacking or non-existent. The Tokyo Toilet project defies this norm and exemplifies how toilets may become elevated beyond mere function. Bringing together sixteen of Japan’s top architects and designers (including Fumihiko Maki, Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, and Kengo Kuma) the restrooms exhibit a wide spectrum of accessible facilities and design ethos. Poetic and perverse, the journey documented by Grayson Schoenbine through these toilets scattered around Shibuya City in Tokyo is a case study in how architecture can serve the public realm in unexpected geographies and typologies.
Grayson Schoenbine is a Project Architect at Works Architecture and a graduate of Portland State University’s School of Architecture and Center for Public Interest Design. His recent projects include Shortstack, a replicable, mass timber, housing model situated in Oregon and an upcoming music venue which will be located in Portland’s Lloyd District.
What is Friday@1?
On most Fridays at 1 p.m. during the academic term, PSU School of Architecture students and faculty gather to hear from professional designers and architects, academics, visiting artists, innovators, and students in the program. Friday@1 is a perfect way to wrap up each week of intense creativity in the studio and get inspired for the productive weekend ahead.
Free and Open to the public. All are welcome.