RELATED
Canistrum, a public toilet design by Maleny-based designer Michael Lennie has been selected as the winner of the Designer Dunny competition organised by the Sunshine Coast Council. The competition, which invited architects, designers, students and creative people to design a public toilet for the town of Kenilworth, Queensland, drew about 200 entries from around Australia.
The Kenilworth Designer Dunny competition required contestants to design a public toilet building that would reflect the aspirations of the local community, deliver an iconic facility, and draw the attention of visitors to the rural town while achieving the functional public toilet needs of the Isaac Moore Park. The design also needed to factor in the problem of seasonal flooding by elevating the proposed building four metres off the ground.
The winning entry, Canistrum by Michael Lennie was selected from a shortlist of 12 entries by a jury chaired by Sunshine Coast architect John Mainwaring, and also including Division 10 Councillor Greg Rogerson, South Australian sculptor Greg Johns, Sandy Conte and Kenilworth Arts Council President Shirley Moreland.
Michael Lennie won a prize of $10,000 for his winning submission.
Describing his entry as both art and a functional public toilet, Lennie explained that the word ‘canistrum’ was Latin for wicker basket and his design represented “an unfinished basket reflecting an unfinished history”.
Jury chair Mainwaring added that Lennie’s entry met the competition’s objective of producing an iconic, innovative and functional public artwork.
The Sunshine Coast Council will collaborate with Michael Lennie to develop detailed construction plans for the winning design.
Image: Canistrum by Michael Lennie, winner of the Sunshine Coast Council’s Designer Dunny competition; Picture Credit: Sunshine Coast Council
