Taiwan's toilets panned

Many tourists to famous tourist areas in Taiwan are impressed by the country's mountains and forests, lakes and beaches. But public toilets next to these delightful sightseeing spots are all too often unremarkable, or when they are remarkable, it's for their puddled floors and stinking stools.

At the three-day annual World Toilet Summit last week, hosted for the first time by the Taiwan Toilet Association (台灣衛浴文化協會), over 250 experts and architects from eight countries exchanged ideas and experiences on the design of tourist-area lavatories. With the Tourism Bureau's 2008 Doubling of Tourists Arrival Plan, the topic holds particular interest for architects in Taiwan.

"If the government wants to double the number of tourists to Taiwan, public toilets are the key, otherwise we'll see the number not doubled but halved," said Cheng Cheng-li (鄭政利), a director of the Taiwan Toilet Association.

Domestic travel reportage in the local media almost never mentioned toilets until recently, when Liao Wei-li's (廖偉立) seemingly in-the-air glass-and-steel design in Hsinchu's Tongyanshan Forest Park (東眼山森林遊樂區) and Wu Ming-hsiu's (吳明修) two solar-powered toilets with biotech composting device in Jade Mountain Ecology Park (玉山生態公園) attracted newspaper attention earlier this year. However, their innovative materials and eco-friendly designs are exceptions to the odorous tile-and-concrete norms.

"Most people do not like to talk about toilets. Traditionally, it's not a decent subject, but we have to talk about it to know how to improve toilet designs," Cheng said -- and to improve toilets is first of all to make them clean.

"In tourist areas, public toilets leave a significant impression on tourists. However, the existing toilets are mostly not clean and odorless. Tourists go there only when they have no choice and rush out as quickly as possible. The most important thing at present is to have clean toilets."

The exterior of the toilets comes next. "The success of a toilet design does not rely on its appearance. When tourists actually use the facilities, they don't look at how pretty the exterior is. Their concern is more about whether it's bright enough or does it look safe," Cheng said.

Cheng cited Singapore's "Happy Toilet Program," a rating system imposed on all public toilets, to improve them. Taipei City Government currently runs a similar rating system, but its enforcement has not been tough enough.

"Sometimes, after a toilet wins the `smiling face mark' ... for its cleanliness, maintenance lapses after the government officials leave," Cheng said.

Wu, president of the Taiwan Toilet Association, made slight changes in regular toilets settings with his designs for three restroom buildings in Yangminshan Park to make maintenance easier. In the men's room, a row of windows is placed at eye level above the stools.

"Out of the window, you can see trees and flowers. People are naturally drawn to things outside the window, so that the urinating men will stand closer to the stool in order to look out at the trees. In doing so, they unknowingly come closer to the stool and therefore their urine does not drip outside. This then keeps the floor dry and easier to clean," Wu said.

The three newly-finished toilets are known for being "human friendly." They are fitted out with a variety of accessories for the family and handicapped users. Such toilets that everyone can use with ease are necessary for tourist spots, Wu said.