光与自然的容器 —深圳园博园花卉馆公厕设计A Vessel for Light and Nature — Public Toilets at the Flower Pavilion, Shenzhen Garden Expo Park

Background

Shenzhen Garden Expo Park is in Futian District. Its varied landscape includes slopes, hills, lakes, ravines and woodland, alongside gardens from around the world and a wide range of architectural styles. In 2020, the park launched a programme to upgrade its public toilets, also known as the “Toilet Revolution.” The programme comprised seven facilities, all designed by REFORM. The Flower Pavilion toilet sits on a gentle slope, with trees along its north, east and west sides; to the south, the site opens onto a park road.

Challenges

Three key challenges shaped the project:

1. Protect the existing trees: construction had to avoid disturbing them and sit comfortably within the natural setting.

2. Improve natural ventilation: use the design to improve airflow, reduce odours and make the facilities more comfortable to use.

3. Rethink the public toilet’s civic image: draw on gardens from around the world, moving beyond conventional typologies to give this everyday facility a distinct architectural and cultural identity.

Walls

The scheme is composed of 19 parallel walls, each 8–10 metres long and 4 metres high. Their staggered alignment follows the woodland edge while carefully avoiding trees to be retained. A shared wash area occupies the centre; the women’s and men’s facilities sit at either end. Stalls, an accessible toilet, a mother-and-baby room and a vanity area are tucked into the gaps between the walls. Open to the north and south, the building draws views of the bamboo grove into the interior; closed to the east and west, it preserves privacy.

Arches

Arches—both a hallmark of Western architecture and a familiar device in Chinese gardens—are reworked here as a continuous spatial sequence. Repeated across the walls, they guide movement through the building. Abstracted and arranged in a rhythm, the arches lend a sense of ceremony to an otherwise everyday building. All are 3 metres high; their widths—1.5, 2.8 and 3.6 metres—correspond to toilet cubicles, the passageway and wash areas.

Solid and void

Clad in light-grey matt ceramic tile, the walls are understated, easy to maintain and economical. Frosted glass blocks along the north and south elevations bring the landscape into the interior while maintaining privacy. Their translucency contrasts with the solid grey walls, enriching the spatial experience. Timber-finish partitions add warmth and familiarity.

Light

Frosted-glass skylights soften direct sunlight into an even, diffused glow, creating a calm atmosphere reminiscent of a gallery. Shadows of branches and clouds drift across the ceiling, leaving a changing trace of nature. Breezes and greenery find their way in through the openings between the roof and walls, making the building a vessel for nature. Daylight reduces reliance on artificial lighting, while natural ventilation helps disperse odours and improves the visitor experience.

Conclusion

Since Shenzhen began its programme of public-toilet upgrades under the “Toilet Revolution,” many municipal facilities have relied on adapted standard modules to save cost and time. At the Garden Expo Park, however, the varied landscape called for a site-specific response rather than a repeated template. By shaping a thoughtful, well-crafted space, we sought to make a routine visit a little more memorable. Visitors began sharing their experiences on social media, where the project was described as the “most beautiful public toilet.” Human-centred design, and the pleasure of inhabiting a carefully made space, can shift how people think about public toilets and encourage greater care for shared civic facilities. For us, that is what the “Toilet Revolution” means.