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Kadikoy Park is a public toilet in Istanbul, located on a densely trafficked site between the Kadıköy port and market on the Asian side of the city.
Anatolian cities have an ancient history of building public spaces_ Since 330 B.C., bathhouses and fountains have functioned as almost as significant and sacred as temples. Facilities for washing and purifying were often built next to sacred buildings. Yet modern public toilets range from high-tech, self-cleaning units to unacceptable outlets that blight their surroundings.

The goal of this project was to rethink public toilet design and create a place that is visually distinct as well as healthy and safe. The concept of the subterranean WC was prompted by the negative qualities of the former toilet, which was an eyesore in this densely trafficked thoroughfare between the Kadıköy seaport and market. From the front the only visible aspect of the new building is a concrete saucer that protrudes above ground and acts as the light source for the building. However, even this area is camouflaged by a layer of grass that covers its surface. From the back a sleek steel and glass door set at ground level is the men’s and disabled persons entrance. Alongside the building a set of steps leads down to another glass door which functions as the women’s entrance. Bold signage marks the separate entrances. Inside, a simple palette of durable and sterile materials such as concrete, stainless steel, metal and glass predominate throughout and are a response to both vandalism and sanitation.
The saucer shaped roof, which rests at the border of the contiguous park, has a narrow window running its circumference, which acts as a shaft bringing light into the center of the building. By day the windows reveal no hint of what is inside. At night the light from within radiates through the window creating a dramatic band of color that introduces a new lighting element to the streetscape.