National Academies Press: OpenBook

Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design (2015)

Chapter: Appendix I - Airport Restroom of the Future

« Previous: Appendixes A H (on accompanying CD-ROM)
Page 68
Suggested Citation:"Appendix I - Airport Restroom of the Future." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22153.
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Page 68
Page 69
Suggested Citation:"Appendix I - Airport Restroom of the Future." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22153.
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Page 69
Page 70
Suggested Citation:"Appendix I - Airport Restroom of the Future." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22153.
×
Page 70
Page 71
Suggested Citation:"Appendix I - Airport Restroom of the Future." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22153.
×
Page 71
Page 72
Suggested Citation:"Appendix I - Airport Restroom of the Future." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22153.
×
Page 72
Page 73
Suggested Citation:"Appendix I - Airport Restroom of the Future." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22153.
×
Page 73

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68 “Toilets remain contested terrain, with the question remaining of how, truly, to make all toilets, and toilet users, equal before the law of the commode.” From “Pissing Without Pity: Disability, Gender, and the Public Toilet” by David Serlin in Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing, Harvey Molotch and Laura Norén (Eds.) I.1 Introduction What if you could . . . • Use small, flexible planning modules • Add right-sized restrooms easily • Prefabricate major elements • Minimize maintenance shutdowns • Help calm the harried traveler • Provide a little extra help • Accommodate all disabilities What if you could . . . • Create airport restrooms that are truly barrier free . . . … BECAUSE ANYONE CAN USE ONE. A P P E N D I X I Airport Restroom of the Future

Airport Restroom of the Future 69 I.2 The Issues Planning Many airports were built with restrooms squeezed into inferior, leftover spaces. Now, especially in the wake of the events of 9/11, it is difficult to enlarge typical restrooms to accommodate travelers’ carry-ons as well as accessibility for travelers with disabilities without decreasing the fixture count. Construction Renovating restrooms in airports is inefficient, working with varying vintages of layouts, infrastructure, and finishes. With differences in space constraints, it can be difficult to standardize layouts. Maintenance In typical restroom layouts, an entire gender’s restroom becomes unavailable during cleaning or repair. Even restrooms designed to close down half are dependent on the unpredictable gender mix of the maintenance staff. Accessibility The ADA requires one accessible stall in a typical airport restroom. As travelers with disabilities are a small (but growing) percentage of the public, those in need often find the accessible stall occupied by an able-bodied person. Gender The issue of gender requires a brief history of the public restroom (synopsized from The Bathroom by Alexander Kira and Toilet edited by Harvey Molotch and Laura Norén). The earliest evidence of public restrooms is from approximately 1700 BCE at Knossos on Crete. The technologically sophis- ticated facilities were not unlike contemporary restrooms and were available for townsfolk as well as travelers. Most of the great cities of the ancient world up through the time of the Roman Empire had similar accommodations for the public although it is not known if genders were separated. For the next thousand years, public restrooms fell out of fashion to the point where public dung heaps were the norm if there was anything at all. Even during the opulent times of Louis XIV, it was common to use streets, cellars, and yards when the need arose. In his proposals for public housing in new towns, Leonardo da Vinci noted that all stairways should be spiral to prevent sanitary misuse of landings. The nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in public facilities because of disease epidemics like the cholera outbreak during the Civil War, events such as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London with 800,000 visitors, and, more significantly, the rise of rail travel and the new terminals to accommodate the travelers. Today, public restrooms are generally easy to find in malls, gas stations, parks, etc. with separate facilities for men and women and even unisex spaces for families and those traveling with a companion for assistance. Restrooms for both men and women, however, are a relatively recent provision. The first law in the United States to require restrooms for women in addition to men was enacted in 1887 in Massachusetts and was aimed at factories and workshops. By 1920, only 43 of the 48 states had adopted similar legislation. The reason for such a law in the first place came into being in the early nineteenth century when the industrial revolution saw men leaving their homes daily to work at the aforementioned factories, etc. The rapid growth in technology and industri- alization invaded life with new dangers and filth at every turn. This, coupled with the Victorian assumption that females were endowed with greater moral sensibility and religious inclinations than men, effectively made the workplace the domain of men and the home that of women.

70 Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design These intrusions of urban life also increased the desire for personal privacy, which in turn led to increased concerns of modesty, especially regarding the human body and bodily functions. The anxiety of women emerging from the homestead to work, shop, socialize, etc. led to the notion to create separate home-like spaces in public places like libraries, department stores, hotels, restaurants, and railroad cars. But in the industrial workplace, men and women took turns using the meager facilities provided by employers. Women’s “physical vulnerability” to unsanitary conditions was a primary justification behind the creation of separate restrooms as was the protection of their virtue and morality. Also included in the “Ladies Room” was a space for emergencies resulting from dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms of illness. In summary, the first sex separation laws for public restrooms were not based on the anatomical differences of men and women but rather to vindicate Victorian era moral ideologies concerning the appropriate role and place for women in society. So why is this relevant now in public restrooms, particularly in airports? It seems that the common pairing of a restroom each for males and females has functioned just fine for decades. But the “toilet laws” have impacts that remain influential. As has been seen in other aspects of our society, “separate but equal” rarely is equal. The typical 50/50 ratio of fixtures in men’s and women’s rooms has actually created a barrier for women in terms of time. Building codes allow one-half to two-thirds of the toilets in a men’s restroom to be substituted with a urinal. The quick-zip design of men’s clothing and the ease of maneuvering at urinals shorten their visit compared to women who also have needs due to pregnancy, menstruation, and higher levels of incontinence in old age. Women are also more likely to have in tow babies, small children, or elderly relatives, all of whom need to use the restroom more often and require more space within the stall for the number of persons and equipment. Last, women comprise a larger proportion of persons with disabilities. Even though current building codes have been revised to provide more fixtures for females in certain building types, they remain 50/50 in airport terminals in the International Building Code. Another impact unique to airports that affects women as well as men is the constantly varying gender mix of travelers throughout the day. At any point in time, a line can be encountered at either gender’s restroom. Gender segregation also creates difficulties for parents with opposite-sex children or traveling companions in need of assistance such as an elderly relative or a person with a physical disability. Another side-effect that is more understood today is the symbolic message that there are two sexes, which is an impediment to the acceptance of those persons who are transsexual, transgender, and intersexual. Modern society has taken steps to remedy some of these discriminations with the provision of a unisex restroom. However the common names of “family room,” “companion care room,” and “assisted care room” have their own exclusionary connotations. We seem poised at the next step in the evolution of public restrooms and gender, a step away from antiquated mores about the sexes and toward seeing people as collectively human. Take our subtle differences out of the equation, and we are faced with the need for only a single type of facility for our personal hygiene; see Figures I-1 and I-2. I.3 What Is Solved Barrier Free Every fixture is accessible for all disabilities and genders—universal design realized. Planning The compact module maximizes the number of fixtures by fitting around obstructions (like shafts) and is more flexible to configure in odd-shaped spaces.

Airport Restroom of the Future 71 AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR ACCESSIBLE SINK ACCESSIBLE TOILET PIPE CHASE 5 0 5 02 0 4 0 6 6 Figure I-1. The airport restroom of the future module. PIPE CHASE “MODULE” COMMON CORRIDOR ART VITRINE WAITING PIPE CHASE COMPANION CARE WITH AMBULATORY STALL HAND WASHING GLASS DIVIDER BABY CHANGING CO NC O UR SE Figure I-2. Conceptual airport restroom of the future layout.

72 Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design Construction The module is ideal for prefabricated assemblies. The entire module or entire wall assemblies can be built offsite and brought in and fit together with other modules, speeding up construction time and minimizing disruption for renovations within the airport. Maintenance One module can be cleaned or repaired at a time, taking only one fixture out of service instead of an entire restroom. Personal Space Calm and quiet. Room enough to change clothes, space to shave, put on make-up, etc. I.4 Still to Be Addressed Security Airport police will likely have concerns about illicit behavior in closed rooms (drugs, sex, etc.). These rooms, however, are no different than family rooms. In addition, having more people circulating in the restroom area would likely deter undesired behaviors. Gender Separation People have expectations of privacy when they go to a restroom, especially from other genders. There may be discomfort among the genders about comingling in the common corridor, and likely too about using the same restroom space right after someone of a different sex. There is a precedent for sharing restrooms, however, with family rooms, airline restrooms, and porta-potties, although the latter two are fairly universally considered unpleasant experiences. Cleanliness A primary factor in this attitude is probably the biggest obstacle to the acceptance of this rest- room concept: the cleanliness practices of the other sexes. Specifically, this includes splashing and (not) aiming while urinating for males and, for females, hovering (and thus splashing while urinating) and remnants from menstruation. It’s easy to say that people just “need to shape up,” but changing behavior is difficult, especially as it relates to a transient public space that the users have no vested interest in. Multiple Disabilities Some disabilities require getting onto the toilet seat from a front approach, others with a side transfer. One works best with a side and rear grab bar, the other with parallel side grab bars. These two configurations are in conflict, which is why the current concept plan has ambulatory configurations in the two companion care rooms. Ideally, a grab bar system would be created that could accommodate both scenarios. There are swing-down grab bars available that are allowed in housing, but not in public restrooms. This product also conflicts with the rear grab bar location in an accessible stall. Until these two configurations can be combined, two types of restrooms will be required and therefore the module will not be completely barrier free. Companion Care Rooms Ideally, companion care rooms, family rooms, etc. would be configured in a way to provide visual privacy from anyone else in the space for the person using the toilet. The module in this

Airport Restroom of the Future 73 concept is purposefully compact for efficiency. With the required clearances for accessibility, there is room for more than one person in the module, but there is no privacy. The two compan- ion care rooms do provide privacy, but again this is a second layout so the module is technically not barrier free for all. Perception of Cleanliness It was noted by some of the case study participants that having a full-time cleaner in a rest- room gives the perception that the space is clean because someone is actually seen working at it. Even if some part is dirty or a toilet paper dispenser is empty, people tend to be more forgiving because the cleaner will get to it soon. The configuration of the Airport Restroom of the Future concept is ideal to be staffed by a full-time cleaner who can move continuously from one unoccupied room to the next. This person could also be available to provide assistance to people with special needs if they are on their own. Developing technologies such as using motion detectors to monitor the number of users in each module could be used to inform the cleaners which rooms need to be cleaned next. Building Code Requirements Current building codes require restrooms for both men and women. Unisex rooms, like family rooms, are an optional extra and contribute marginally, if at all, to the fixture count requirements. A significant change in thinking and legislation would be required to allow the Airport Restroom of the Future concept. I.5 What Next? Perhaps nothing. Ideally, though, discussion will occur and possibly some airports and their designers will test the waters with certain aspects. Our current society and culture may not be ready yet for such a drastic change from our Victorian underpinning, much as they would not have been 100 years ago with the typical airport restroom of today. According to air travelers, however, who have become particularly vocal about their expectations, there is ample room for improvement.

Next: Appendix J - Glossary »
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TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 130: Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design explores a process to help airport practitioners plan, design, and implement terminal restroom projects.

The guidebook’s printed appendixes include a discussion of the restroom of the future. Appendixes A, C-H include case studies, focus group summaries, and a bibliography. Appendix B includes editable restroom evaluation forms. These appendixes are available online and on the CD-ROM accompanying the print version of the report.

Disclaimer - Supplemental materials are offered as is, without warranty or promise of support of any kind either expressed or implied. Under no circumstance will the National Academy of Sciences or the Transportation Research Board (collectively “TRB’) be liable for any loss or damage caused by the installation or operations of this product. TRB makes no representation or warrant of any kind, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, including without limitation, the warranty of merchantability or the warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and shall not in any case be liable for any consequential or special damages.

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