Recognizing Good Restroom Design

Well-designed cost effective public restrooms provide maximum function in minimum space and are safe, accessible, available, attractive and easy to maintain.

The PHLUSH Design Principles for Public Restrooms identify seven essential characteristics of successful facilities and specify the design elements required to meet each. They build on a variety of sources and are aligned with the needs of diverse users and the realities of contemporary urban life.

The working goal of the PHLUSH Public Toilet Design Principles: Cost-effective public restrooms that provide maximum function in minimum space and are safe, accessible, available, attractive and easy to maintain.

Endorsed and approved by neighborhood groups in Portland, Oregon in 2008, these principles guide the work of PHLUSH today. We summarize the seven principles as follows -

https://www.phlush.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/budget-deactvate.png

Cost Effectiveness

● The high cost of not having public toilets can balance the cost of providing good ones.

https://www.phlush.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/soap.png

Maximum Function in Minimum Space

● Save space with single door direct entry stalls rather than “gang toilets”.
● Increase capacity and solve gender parity issues by making stalls unisex.
● Think public comfort station ie a place the public feels comfortable making short stops rather than an interior room for rest.

https://www.phlush.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/shield.png

Safety

● Site restrooms to benefit from natural surveillance by the community.
● Apply Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) in location, layout, lighting, surface, materials, fixtures and hardware.
● Protect users, especially children, from inappropriate contact with strangers in “gang toilets” by providing individual direct entry stalls.
● Design doors to ensure privacy with safety: full length with a 1.5 – 2” gap at the bottom and a lock that authorities can open from the outside in an emergency.
● Activate surrounding area with retail, information kiosks, food carts, street performers, bus stops, or parking pay stations.

https://www.phlush.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/toilet.png

Accessibility

● Adhere to standards of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
● Choose unisex stalls to accommodate families and opposite sex caregivers.

https://www.phlush.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/24-hours.png

Availability

● Place sinks outside of stalls so users do not tie up toilets while hand washing.
● Make the flow of users more efficient by using unisex stalls
● Plan for restrooms that can function year round and 24/7.
● Use directional signage to restrooms, signs on facility listing hours, number to call for maintenance, etc. and print and web-based information to complement signs.

https://www.phlush.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/kite.png

Attractiveness

● Focus on restrooms as positive attractors, incorporating historical artifacts, artwork, and text in the design.
● Involve users in restroom design and aesthetics as well as function.
● Give the community an opportunity to take pride in and responsibility for restrooms.

https://www.phlush.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/maintenance.png

Ease of Maintenance

● Use unisex stalls so individual toilets can be cleaned or repaired without closing facility.
● Choose vandal-resistant hardware and make surfaces graffiti resistant.
● Lower risk of in-stall vandalism by putting sink and trash bin outside in the open.
● Install tap for power washing and utility cupboard for supplies.
● Establish monitoring and evaluation plan for maintenance.

Margot Kleinman

September 6, 2024

Public Toilets Case Studies with Pratt Institute: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Research with MFA student Keliang Li Pee Curl, or public urinal for men, in Amsterdam On a recent trip to Amsterdam, when I asked a local shop owner where I could use the restroom, she told me there were plenty of places for men but…

Public Toilets Case Studies with Pratt Institute: Paris, France

Written with MFA student Tong Zhao Proposed public toilet, called a Sanisette, near Eiffel Tower in Paris With all the coffee and wine you’ll be drinking in Paris, it’s good to know there are plenty of free public restrooms. Cafes are everywhere in Paris: go…

Public Toilets Case Studies with Pratt Institute: Sydney, Australia

Written by MFA student Jean Juan with Margot Kleinman North Bondi Beach Restroom The City of Sydney, one of Australia's largest and fastest-growing local areas, has an estimated population of 5.2 million in 2024. (https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/sydney-population). In the 2022/23 financial year, the city hosted 5.4 million…