Public restrooms that fail to meet standards to combat the use of spy cameras would not be eligible for top rating under proposed regulations, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭?明) said yesterday.
The Ministry of Environment has launched a scheme to promote public restrooms with distinct features, with the goal of building 30 such public restrooms nationwide by 2030.
Of the 71 proposals submitted last year under the scheme, 11 were selected by experts as eligible for funding, with the designs unveiled yesterday.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
The distinctive public restrooms are expected to become tourist spots following the examples of Japan’s 17 public restrooms built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Peng said.
He was referring to the Tokyo Toilet initiative, an urban redevelopment project funded by the Tokyo-based Nippon Foundation in which 17 public restrooms in Shibuya District were redesigned by architects such as Tadao Ando and Toyo Ito.
The 11 public restrooms to be built in Taiwan under the ministry’s scheme feature creative designs and compatibility with local environments, Peng said.
For example, one to be built at Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor (興達港) has a boat-shaped terrace from which the sea view can be enjoyed, he said.
Architect Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘) said that the Singda Harbor restroom would have such good natural ventilation that it would not necessarily need fans to keep it dry and odorless.
Natural ventilation is based primarily on buoyancy-driven ventilation — also known as the stack effect, Chao said.
The top and bottom of the building would have openings that allow temperature differences to generate convection, pushing air through the structure, he said.
The restrooms would be equipped mainly with sitting toilets, which would be more elderly-friendly given Taiwan’s aging population, Peng said.
They would improve environmental aesthetics, and focus on safeguarding safety and privacy, he said.
Public restrooms that fail to meet new anti-spying criteria would not be given “outstanding” ratings, he said.
Lin Yi-fang (林憶芳), section chief of the Environmental Management Administration’s Environmental Sanitation Division, said that the ministry’s regulations on public restroom management would be revised to enhance measures to combat spy cameras.
Vents at toilet stall must be at least 2m above the ground, while stall doors must be more than 2.3m high, Lin said.
Partitions between toilets must extend from the ground to the ceiling without gaps, she said, adding that mirrors in public restrooms must not face toilets.
Electronic sweeps to detect cameras must be conducted at least once a month, while public facilities with high foot traffic should have more frequent sweeps, she said.
QR codes would be displayed at public restrooms for people to promptly report any suspicious activity, she added.
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