PLEASE HAVE A SEAT
It was in Kortrijk, a UNESCO Cultural City of Design, that the Wonder Creativity Festival took place. Since our physical social lives were wiped out during Covid, the theme for the 2nd edition was meeting up again. “Please have a seat” was the festival mantra. A concept taken at face value – albeit daringly – in the washrooms.
WONDER WONDERFUL
For better or for worse, public washrooms are an integral part of any festival; and when they are supposed to be inspirational and arty, the challenge is huge. Van Marcke, washroom fitter and owner of the former industrial site where the festival took place, decided to tackle this thorny subject. And to do so, designer Wim Van Heeke was invited on board.
Containers full of character were created, to contain comfortable, non-gendered design-oriented toilets, along with artistic installations. High-quality materials and color combinations thus rubbed shoulders with scented-air dispensers and background music. The whole thing dotted with neon lights to produce a brand-new nocturnal experience for festival-goers. Enough to encourage them to enthusiastically accept the invitation to "take a seat".
You worked on this project together with the Van Marcke Group. What did each of you bring to it?
How did you share out the roles?
Wim Van Heeke: Van Marcke asked me to design a brand new interior concept with all the necessary options for a total experience inside a mobile washroom unit. The themes to consider were: "STAY PURE" & "FEEL NATURAL". In the end, I totally reinvented the concept.
In a public place burdened with regulatory requirements, sanitation is a massive challenge. What was your approach regarding the washroom units for the Wonder Creativity Festival?
W. V. H.: To meet the interior layout demands, I made the notion of creating a brand-new experience for the visitor my own. In that respect, I decided to choose ecological products for the fittings and furnishings, like the tiling, lighting and sanitary equipment. I opted for products that made savings on both water and energy, without sacrificing comfort. Moreover, I created an extra dimension with automatic scented-air dispensers and background music. Users even had the possibility of charging their cell phones. And all this in an oasis of soothing colors. And users were incredibly enthusiastic about the result.
DELABIE products installed:
DUPLO stainless steel multiple washbasin - reference 121390
BLACK BINOPTIC electronic basin tap - reference 378035
FINO design-led stainless steel urinal - reference 135710
TEMPOMATIC 4 electronic urinal valve - references 430006 + 430PBOX + 757430
S21S wall-hung stainless steel WC pan with slimline toilet seat lid - references 110310 + 102819
Photo credit : Wim Van Heeke, Wim.terior
