In the pristine British Columbia wilderness sit the world's most gorgeous outhouses. The award-winning latrines are such attractions that tourists from Europe will trek hours into the wilderness just to photograph them.
We stumbled upon the woodsy water closets earlier this year, when we asked prominent British Columbians to share their favourite buildings in the province. It coincided with a contest by the Architecture Foundation of B.C.
World renowned archaeologist and author Wade Davis emailed us back and said, "There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that the two most compelling and inspirational buildings in British Columbia are the Crystal Crapper and Totem Turd House. Both are to be found at our lodge on Ealue Lake in the Stikine in Tahltan territory, some seven hours by road north of Smithers."
How could we not be intrigued?
Davis and his friend and architect Travis Price filled us in on the fascinating story behind the most interesting toilets we've ever seen.
"It all began with a simple notion that the one thing one could count on in a turbulent world was the satisfaction of a morning jaunt to the toilet," wrote Davis. "So why [shouldn't] the space of such basic purging be beautiful and inspired?"
In the early '90s, Price and a dozen of his students from the School of Architecture at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. designed the two outhouses to replace the basic facilities at Davis' lodge. Then they trekked into the remote area and built the structures in nine days with a $1,000 budget.
The Totem Turd House is modelled after a totem pole, "incorporating a sacred processional for one’s arrival to the mighty throne," Price writes in his book "The Mythic Modern."
Screened metal mesh allows someone to see out, but not in — "much like the mask of a dancer." Modern amenities that were added included book racks and dual toilet paper holders.
To allow Davis' then-young daughters to open the heavy plywood door, two giant pulleys were built with hanging rocks and a lever system. The girls simply used a tiny rope handle to lift the 90-pound door.
A set of elk horns is bolted to the very top of the outhouse, a gift from the local tribe, says Davis. At night, the steel bolts look like eerie eyes staring from the top of the totem, glinting in the moonlight.
The second outhouse, named the Crystal Crapper, has a stunning view of the lake thanks to a full expanse of glass. "You sat on the toilet looking out at the lake in sheer ecstasy, stripped down, deconstructed to simplicity," writes Davis.
A classic Renaissance trick of "collapsing perspective" was incorporated to build a bridge of columns leading to the crapper. The roof is made of twirling logs, like a beaver dam.
The student projects actually won a chapter American Institute of Architects' contest in 1993, competing against multi-million dollar homes and prestigious buildings by professional designers. Their submission was cheekily titled, "Momentous Monuments to Movement."
Davis — who splits his time between West Vancouver, Ealue Lake and travelling around the world — says his lodge's outhouses have become tourist attractions in the last 20 years.
"Every so often despite the remoteness of our lode we wake to see Germans and other Europeans lined up to photograph structures that for us as a family are still just outhouses, though elegant ones to be sure," he told HuffPost. "I must say that they do have a star quality impossible to deny."
Check out more photos of the stunning outhouses:
World's Most Gorgeous Outhouses Are In B.C.
