Studio Pacific Architecture: Kumutoto Toilets

New Zealand practice Studio Pacific Architecture has completed two daring structures that serve as public toilets at at the Synergy Plaza, in Wellington's Kumutoto Precinct, close to the city's waterfront. The brief asked for an iconic, unusual structure with a sculptural form, and the architects delivered, creating two suspended arms with elongated, irregularly curved forms, that become instantly recognizable from all angles.

Located at the end of a sequence of spaces and elements in the laneway that borders the waterfront, the structures add a playful layer to a usually neglected element of public space — the public toilet. While the architects took into consideration practical concerns, such as security, hygiene and vandalism, they also sought to imbue the structures with an organic and eye-catching form. "[They] are suggestive of crustaceans or sea creatures, as if the structure was a kind of fossilised husk that had been discovered and inhabited," states Pacific Architecture Studio. "Recalling the waterfront's shipping past, they evoke the crusty saltiness of the sea in the smooth levelness of the precinct, clinging to its surface like barnacles to the underside of a boat."

The toilets, which were distinguished with a NZIA Wellington Architecture Award 2012 in the Public category, are made of concrete, featuring a metal rainscreen painted in a red brick colour, which evokes the nearby heritage buildings. The structure's curves seek to echo some of the ornate detailing on the nearby sheds. The cantilevered "tails" provide natural ventilation, while each form contains one public toilet. One of the "tails" also includes a cleaning and storage facility.

Studio Pacific Architecture: Kumutoto Toilets
Architect: Studio Pacific Architecture
Project team: Stephen McDougall, Bret Thurston, Guy Marriage, Peter Mitchell
Client: Wellington Waterfront Ltd
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Size 26,5 square metres
Completion: September 2011
Materials: Concrete, steel