In a unique approach to drawing awareness and helping to solve a global crisis, a furniture manufacturer has created a jarring experience for bathroom goers. Germax Interiors, a Sydney-based company that specializes in hotel and office furniture, drew inspiration from Italian artist, Monica Bonvicini. She made a name for herself by building toilet art installations in the early 2000s.

The project called, See Through Loo, goes beyond shock and awe and helps to bring public conscience to a rising issue. According to the United Nations children’s fund UNICEF, there are an estimated 2.4 billion people without access to safe toilets. Further tallying the issue, a calculated 97 hours are spent looking for a private place to go. Finally, the issue disproportionally puts girls more likely to skip school while menstruating at a disadvantage – with an estimated 1-in-3 women having to go outside with no privacy.

The concept of the See Through Loo is clear; it is to allow people to feel what it is like to not have any privacy when they go. The pod-like structure is designed to allow the person inside to see out, but onlookers cannot see in. The effect is an eye-opening private experience that feels public. Each pod is 6.5 feet tall by 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The structural elements are made of steel, while the corners are covered in mirrored Dibond aluminum composite material. The walls and door are sheets of clear acrylic glass covered in a reflective film on the outside, with a darkened film on the inside. This combination allows the pod to be both opaque and transparent.

Each bathroom constructed by the Sydney-based furniture company and sponsored by Domestos, WaterAid, and UNICEF, is portable and requires no drainage. Once the prototype was built, logistics of who would be building the pods in the developing countries and where, had to be determined. The stakeholders needed to work in line with the overseeing organizations to include: Community Lead Total Sustainable and WASH Water.

Included in the outreach are installations in widely populated public arenas to raise awareness even further. The See Through Loo has traveled to outdoor festivals, shown up in Times Square, and places like London and Switzerland to name a few stops. With each populated locale the greater the public awareness, the closer Domestos is to reaching their goal of, “…improving access to a toilet for 25 million people by 2020.”

information and photography courtesy of Architecture and Design