Bamboo is set in rhythmic sequence, like a dance;

woven screens shield the gaze of forest spirits;

wind stirs, light refracts, and greenery is endlessly reflected.

As the first restroom encountered upon entering the Basianshan Forest Recreation Area, the facility must serve large volumes of visitors arriving by car or tour bus. The existing structure, however, suffered from age and a narrow, elongated layout that left its interior dim, lacking family-friendly amenities, and with its entrance awkwardly located on the basement level without adequate handrails or path maintenance.

Within the fixed frame of the existing structure, the design reimagines the entrance with a bamboo ceiling canopy, opening up solid walls to invite daylight and atmosphere, and transforming the restroom into a semi-open pavilion immersed in its natural setting. The goal was to heighten the sensory connection to the forest—light, wind, and sound—turning it into a “mountain restroom.” Interior partitions were shifted laterally and lowered, while washbasins were relocated to the central courtyard, dissolving the previous awkward zoning. For the women’s restroom, curved walls introduced a cruciform circulation pattern, enhancing natural light and ventilation, while also incorporating a family restroom and children’s washbasins.

Above the entrance, the ceiling unfolds in a wave-like arc, its form defined by steel pipes and suspended by cables from the slab. This soft sculpting of bamboo craftsmanship harnesses the natural sheen and curvature of the material, refracting outdoor light into the interior and infusing the space with a gentle, ambient glow. In other areas, fiber-cement boards conceal exposed utilities, maintaining a clean visual order.

With the removal of the existing interior walls, privacy between male and female restrooms is redefined through bamboo weaving screens. Drawing from Atayal motifs—“mountain,” “eye,” and “interlacing”—the design employs four distinct weaving techniques, layered in staggered arrangements. The result ensures both discretion and airflow while embedding cultural symbolism and bamboo artistry into the very fabric of the architecture.