Prague – Czech Republic
Model: DIVO HN
Technology: Self-cleaning S5
Date: 2024-2025
Place: Sobotecká Playground, Vinohrady neighbourhood, Prague
Client: DataCamp s.r.o. and City of Prague
Description:
Public toilets: why they matter for the quality of urban space
The quality of a public space cannot be measured solely by its design, landscape or the activities it accommodates. Above all it is reflected in its ability to welcome people and respond to the practical needs of everyday users.
In urban parks, family-friendly areas and community gathering places, the availability of public toilets that are accessible, clean and available at all times is an essential element of a positive visitor experience. Although often overlooked, these facilities have a direct impact on how long people choose to stay, on user comfort and the overall perception of the public space.
This understanding formed the basis of the renovation project at Sobotecká Playground, located in the Vinohrady district of Prague.
Renovating a public space with people at its heart
The project was promoted and fully funded by DataCamp s.r.o., in collaboration with Atelier Partero, a renowned landscape architecture practice.
The aim was to transform a neglected urban area into a place capable of fostering new connections, encouraging social interactions and providing a safe, engaging environment for children, families and local residents.
The new park has been conceived as a vibrant and poetic space, constantly evolving while blending seamlessly into the urban landscape and growing alongside the community that uses it. It represents a successful example of collaboration between private sector and public authorities, where private investment delivers a tangible, long-term benefit for the wider community.
When design genuinely puts people at its centre, even the most functional elements become part of a broader vision of urban quality.
The design response: integrated service for a better park experience
To support the park’s transformation and ensure adequate facilities for its visitors, SANO2 self-cleaning public toilets featuring S5 technology have been installed. SANO2, a brand of Prefabbricati Santerno, provided a solution that combines accessibility, high-quality design and operational reliability, while integrating seamlessly into the project’s overall landscape concept.
The project also serves as an example of functional integration: a single architectural volume incorporates two precast modular units dedicated to different yet complementary functions. The first accommodates an accessible toilet for all-users alongside a standard toilet cubicle, while the second houses a kiosk. This compact configuration integrates naturally into the surrounding environment.
The combination of complementary functions enhances the quality of the public space by expanding the range of services available and making the area more welcoming and enjoyable for visitors.
This approach responds efficiently to users’ needs and encourages more frequent and continuous use of the public space throughout the day.
Public toilets designed for accessibility, autonomy and comfort
In a park used daily by families, children, local residents and visitors, accessibility and ease of use are essential elements.
The presence of an accessible facility, in fact, allows people with reduced mobility to use the toilet independently and safely, helping to make the park genuinely inclusive.
At the same time, the availability of public toilets that are always accessible enables families and visitors to spend more time in the public space, encouraging longer stays, participation in activities and social interaction among users.
When infrastructures are designed to remove barriers and support people’s everyday needs, the benefits extend to the entire community.
An environment designed to be welcoming, durable and easy to maintain
One of the defining features of this installation is the attention given to the perceived quality of the interior spaces.
The walls are clad in large-format porcelain stoneware panels, minimising the number of joints and grout lines. This facilitates cleaning operations while conveying an immediate sense of order, care and durability. Linear LED lighting enhances the interior environment and improves visual comfort, while the finishes and fittings have been selected to ensure long-term durability and resistance even in a high-traffic public setting. Every detail has been designed to make the user experience intuitive and comfortable. The integrated washbasin, equipped with touch-free systems for water, soap dispensing and hand drying, reduces contact with surfaces and contributes to a more hygienic and pleasant users experience. Accessibility features, vandal-resistant elements and high-performance materials complete an environment that successfully combines functionality, safety and perceived quality.
The result is a facility that integrates harmoniously into the park setting, raising the standard of services available while contributing to the overall quality of the wider redevelopment project.
Self-cleaning technology and customisation: a solution designed to adapt to its surroundings
S5 self-cleaning technology is at the heart of the SANO2 installation ensuring consistently high standards of cleanliness throughout the whole day.
After each use, the system automatically performs washing and sanitisation cycles, helping to keep the facility clean, welcoming and ready for the next user. For visitors, this translates into a simple yet essential benefit: the confidence of being able to rely on a hygienic, dependable and always-available service.
Alongside automation, one of this solution’s key strengths is the ability to customise materials, finishes and configurations to suit the specific context in which it is installed.
At Sobotecká Playground, the external larch cladding with open-joint timber slats was selected to enhance the visual integration of the structure within the park. The architectural language of the facility therefore complements the wider landscape design, helping to create a coherent and harmonious identity for the project as a whole.
This design flexibility makes it possible to transform an essential service into an active contributor to the quality of public space, adapting not only to functional requirements but also to the character of the place and the community it serves.
Improving public spaces through essential services
The Sobotecká Playground demonstrates that urban regeneration is also achieved through services that are often considered secondary, yet are fundamental to people’s well-being.
Accessible, clean, safe and reliable public toilets help make public spaces more inclusive, more welcoming and more enjoyable. When integrated into a broader design vision, they become valuable tools for encouraging participation, strengthening community ties and tangibly enhancing urban quality of life in tangible ways.
The project carried out in Prague provides a positive example of how landscape, technological innovation and a people-centred approach can work together to create places that are better suited to everyday life.
Because the quality of a city depends not only on major infrastructure projects, but also on the care with which the essential services that support daily life of people are designed, delivered and maintained.
