The “THE TOKYO TOILET Nanago Dori Park (Hi Toilet)” won the “iF GOLD AWARD”, the highest award in the “iF DESIGN AWARD 2022”. The iF DESIGN AWARD, established in Germany in 1953, is a prestigious international design award for products from all over the world in a variety of fields, and is ranked alongside the Red Dot Award (Germany) and the International Design Excellence Awards ( It is considered one of the world’s three major design awards along with the Red Dot Award (Germany) and the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) (U.S.).

The “Hi Toilet” was created as part of the Nippon Foundation’s “THE TOKYO TOILET,” which aims to create a society that embraces diversity. The toilet, which employs voice-recognition technology, allows users to operate not only the door and toilet bowl, but also to play music, and was designed as a clean and enjoyable place to spend a pleasant time. The stark white spherical building with a maximum ceiling height of 4 meters is also shaped to control air flow and prevent odors from lingering, and a 24-hour ventilation system combining natural air supply and mechanical exhaust air is installed.

The iF DESIGN AWARD judging panel gave the following commendation to our project, “This is a great example of how design and technology can respond to current challenges. The recent Covid-19 pandemic sensitized people to the need for contactless surfaces. This public lavatory design is both sophisticated and user-friendly, balancing aesthetics, accessibility, and hygiene. It has the appearance of a public art object, with an inviting allure untypical of public restrooms.”