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The world’s most creative loos
lifestyle July 14, 2017 12:45
By The Nation
The 2017 International Toilet Tourism Award recently announced the most creative loos in the Australia, the US and New Zealand sector of its annual contest.
The competition is divided into six categories and this year drew 30 entries from around the world.
The restrooms at the Southern Highlands Welcome Centre in Mittagong, Australia snatched the Best Economic Contributor prize, which focuses on when people stop at a toilet in a destination and stay on to spend more than a penny.
Refurbished in late 2015, the loos are adorned with flowers, posters, an audio reel and quirky fact stickers and also provide free Wi-Fi. Since then, the centre has increased a number of visitors from 60,000 to 72,000 and local product sales in the SHWC have risen 19 per cent.
Regional visitor expenditure has increased from A$250 million (Bt6.56 billion) to $261 million and the centre has achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 93 per cent.
“Despite a very small decorating budget for the toilets, the SHWC has been wonderfully innovative with their colourful, fun and informative loos concept. And this shows in the direct and indirect economic returns when visitors stop to spend a penny and then see what’s available locally,” one of the judges commented.
The Cliffhanger Loo with a View overlooking the sea, at Cobourg Peninsula, Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, Northern Territories, Australia is considered the Best Location. Standing on the edge of a cliff, the toilet is designed to resemble an outlook from where visitors can marvel at the lagoon just 10 meters below where crocodiles bask on the sand and reef sharks hunt for prey.
The WC is waterless, odourless and converts fresh waste into organic humus. A guest said that it’s like watching a National Geographic documentary while sitting on the loo, while a judge pointed out the cheeky, audacious, simple and environmentally sound nature of the cliffhanger loo. It has, he added, capitalised on its location perfectly and become an attraction in itself.
The Hahei Holiday Resort in Coromandel, New Zealand won Best Design for its new toilet and shower as part of a glamping backpacker lodge designed to personify eco beachfront coast chic using as much reused and carbon friendly products as possible.
Easy access ramps with sensor lighting and native plants in an atrium lead to oversize showers and loos. The design creates light opaque roofing for natural light, open trusses and external gable ventilation, with plenty of recycled native timber featured, including LED lights in old beer bottles and ceramic sinks from a hospital.
“The beautiful approach to the toilet and shower block and the light and airy design using local products has made the loos at Hahei Holiday Resort an exemplary lesson in design,” said a judge.
Another Best Design prize went to the Kathleen Buzzacott Art Studio, Alice Springs, Central Australia. Built in 2016, the loos were added for the convenience of tourists visiting Buzzacott’s studio. The beautiful toilets complement the stunning landscape and highlight the connection to native heritage and culture through the story-telling toilet doors, which feature indigenous central desert dot paintings.
“Unpretentious, simple and elegant, the design of these toilets perfectly complements the existing artist studio. A harmonious balance of architectural design and artistic creativity has produced this visually spectacular work of art. The building is an extension of the artist’s creative space. People pull up chairs to sit and admire the toilet doors, which tell their own Aboriginal stories,” a judge comments.
Dunnies with a Difference, the Toowoomba Portable Toilets, Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia won the Quirkiest Toilet Experience. The “people with the orange toilets” design and manufacture public toilets for events, most notable is their prestige range – Dunnies with a Difference – which includes the Rustic Cottage, the London Telephone Box, Brighton Beach House, and the VIP unit. Each one includes hand sanitation, hand wash and sunscreen stations.
“The Dunnies with a Difference range transform toilets from something you hide at outdoor events into wonderful quirky attractions that add real value because they are so pretty, functional, hygienic and mobile,” a judge noted.
Toowoomba Portable Toilets were the overall winners in the awards. MyTravelResearch.com will donate $2000 to UN Toilet Day on their behalf. The Best Accessible Toilet is the Arthurs Seat Public Toilet, Arthurs Seat Park in Victoria, Australia, run by Parks Victoria. Opened in January, it’s thoughtfully designed to meet the toileting needs of a diverse range of visitors to Arthurs Seat State Park such as tourists with disabilities, mobility limitations and those travelling with children.
Find out more about terrific toilets at http://www.MyTravelResearch.com.
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