Enveloping Echo

I made a functioning bathroom called Enveloping Echo that provides privacy through its folding enclosure. The design is formed by two cylindrical shapes, where the outer volume folds and curves around the inner one without touching it. This creates a sense of wrapping, layering, and unfolding space, as if the outer shell is bending to protect the smaller building. The folded geometry gives the project both privacy and an architectural rhythm, making the enclosure feel like an echo of the inner form.

Materials used were cardboard, balsa wood dowels, and foam board. Hot glue, an OLFA blade, and a dowel cutter were used to create this project. Materials used for the drawings were graphite pencils, Microns, and colored pencils.

The project requirements were to create at least one unisex bathroom that fit ADA requirements, and was enclosed for use. I researched the precedents that were given by the professor, which were the Tokyo Toilets. These intricate bathrooms are located in Tokyo, Japan, and were used to give inspiration into creation of the project. The outer walls fold or wrap around the inner building, increasing in height as you enter. As you walk through the enclosure, the height of the walls creates a hierarchy between the two buildings, and sound echoes caused by the tall walls and roof. The bathroom itself is ADA accessible, with a toilet in the stall and a sink outside the stall. The roof of the shorter building acts as a ceiling for the stall itself.

Various drawings were made to show the extent of the project, and show views easily without needing the model. These drawings were carefully drafted by pencil and after, drafted over with Microns. Colored pencils were used to show materiality, hierarchy, and contrasting forms. The floor plan shows what the building looks like without the roof as it is difficult to see in the model, which emphasizes the privacy portion of the model. Overall, this project came together well, and the process of a previous model with the Tokyo Toilets creating the new project is linear and clear.