The Kangaroo Valley Outhouse is a surprisingly modern bathroom located deep in the dense Australian bush and designed to service a small cabin nearby.
Nothing like the traditional outhouse, the Kangaroo Valley Outhouse has been designed by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects to maximise the sensation of being one with nature. Completely secluded, the outdoor toilet evokes the universal experience of camping but without the challenges, thanks to its immersive and luxurious design.
The modern outhouse’s design is sensitive to the environment, with the architects combining thoughtful engineering and sustainable technologies such as natural ventilation, solar-powered lighting, and greywater recycling and septic tanks to minimise the impact on the local ecosystem. The outhouse is mounted on top of well-concealed columns giving a hovering effect. This design allows simple demounting if required in future.
The outhouse is fitted out with all the comforts of a modern bathroom including a standalone bathtub. To ensure a strong connection to the natural outdoors, the outhouse uses glazing to provide the user uninterrupted views of the lush landscape during the day. The inside of the bathroom is fitted with glass making the one-way-mirror glass walls see-through from the inside. The reflective walls mirror the surrounding greenery, providing a truly liberating sensation of immersing in nature; only the subtle lines of the edges of the outhouse’s cubic shape reveal its unobtrusive presence.
In the dark of the night, this outdoor bathroom capitalises on its incredible potential for privacy. The walls become entirely transparent, opening up the interiors and merging the bathroom’s fittings with the dense foliage around.
Kangaroo Valley Outhouse is the perfect place to relax, reflect and leave all inhibitions behind, while enjoying the connection with the natural world around.
Image: Kangaroo Valley Outhouse, Madeline Blanchfield Architects. Image by Robert Walsh
