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The Hundertwasser Toilets is a
The toilet facility was designed by the reclusive
The Hundertwasser Toilets is a public toilet
A public toilet, restroom, public bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils ...
located at 60 Gillies Street, the main street of the town of Kawakawa in northern New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. The structure was completed in 1999 and named after the architect and visual artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Friedrich Stowasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (), was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection ...
, who conceived and designed the project. It is one of the few toilet blocks worldwide seen both as an international work of art and a tourist attraction in its own right.
Description
The toilet facility was designed by the reclusive Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n and New Zealand artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who lived near Kawakawa from 1975 until his death in 2000, aged 71. The decorative toilet block is the only project designed by Hundertwasser in the
Southern Hemisphere and the last project completed within the artist's lifetime. The style is typical Hundertwasser, with wavy lines, irregular ceramic tiles, integrated small sculptures, coloured glass and a live tree incorporated into the architecture.
Recycled materials, including the community's spent glass bottles and bricks from a former Bank of New Zealand branch, were used throughout. Hundertwasser requested that any vegetation removed for construction should be replanted on the building's green roof
A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...
. The toilet was opened in 1999. Functionally, it does not differ from other 'normal' public toilets. There are separate men's and women's areas, but both sides are sometimes viewed by the more curious visitor after giving suitable advance warning.
Tourism
The Hundertwasser Toilets are considered the main attraction of Kawakawa and the most photographed toilet of New Zealand. The bus-loads of tourists who view the toilets far outnumber the individuals who visit simply to use the facility.See also
*List of buildings by Friedensreich Hundertwasser
This list includes all architectural projects realized by Friedensreich Hundertwasser including new buildings, alterations and design of buildings.
Hundertwasser started to work as an architect at the age of 55 already having a reputation as a pa ...
References
{{coord, 35, 22, 47.84, S, 174, 4, 1.12, E, region:NZ, display=title Public toilets Buildings and structures in the Northland Region Buildings and structures completed in 1999 1990s architecture in New Zealand 1999 sculptures 1999 establishments in New Zealand