Amoeba Public Restroom | PAO | People’s Architecture Office

Amoeba Public Restroom is an all-gender facility that is designed to welcoming for all people. The design features a single meandering wall, which creates distinct individual stalls while maintaining an open and interconnected interior. Conical spaces form light wells that draw natural light into each stall. The resulting spaces bring a sacred beauty to the most profane of activities.

Each stall has a unique shape and size. The Amoeba Public Restroom is designed with inclusivity as a priority, whether people are families with kids, have disabilities, or are gender non-conforming. Stall doors do not seal area above or below, leaving the continuity of the space exposed. The cohesive space places an emphasis on inclusion rather than segregation. At each end of the building are wash basins that are shared amongst all visitors.

Amoeba Public Restroom is located at Manshan park, a popular destination in Mentougou, Bejing. The public park serves as a vibrant hub for a wide range of social activity such as markets, forums, exhibitions, music, and theatrical performances.

Project name: Amoeba Public Restroom

Project location: Manshan Park, Mentougou , Beijing, China

Client: Metro Land Corporation Ltd.

Chief Curator of Manshan park: Zhou Rong

Architects: People’s Architecture Office

Principals: He Zhe, James Shen, Zang Feng

Design team: Yang Quanyue, Wen Hao, Lu Boge

Structural Consultant: Liu Su

Lighting Consultant: X Studio, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University

Landscape Consultant: Farmerson Architects

Design period: April 2021- September 2021

Construction period: October 2021- February 2022

Photography: Zhu yumeng, People’s Architecture Office

Drawings: Yuan Yingzi, Yang Quanyue, Zhang Hongdou