Page 30 - School Planning & Management, May 2017

FACILITIES RETHINKING RESTROOM, SHOWER ROOM AND LOCKER ROOM DESIGN
Equitable Space
First and foremost, there’s not a lot of difference in designing restroom, shower room and locker room spaces for males and females. The two main differences are urinals men’s rooms and sanitary napkin disposals in women’s rooms.
“It boils down to accessories, if you will,” says Wroble. “We may use different types of mirrors or place electric dryers at different heights for drying hair vs. drying hands.” He notes that his firm used to put a shelf in each stall and near hand-washing sinks in women’s restrooms to hold such accoutrements as purses, cell phones and makeup. But now they install shelves in men’s restrooms so they, too, have a place to put things while using the facilities. “It’s a place to put your phone so it’s close to you, it stays clean and you don’t have to balance it on the toilet paper holder. For us, it’s about being sensitive to what students are carrying and doing and making sure there is a level of comfort there.”
For architects, the primary design consideration isn’t about the difference in designing for males vs. females; it is about designing equitable facilities for each gender. Equitability is driven by build- ing code and Title IX requirements, which stipulate the amounts and types of fixtures provided for each sex.
A second design consideration in terms of equitability is whether a restroom is also intended to serve the general public
for special events. “If these spaces do serve spectators and visi- tors,” says Todd Ferking, AIA, principal with DLR Group, which has offices around the world, “we include amenities that support families, like baby changing stations in both men’s and women’s restrooms. We also discuss with the district the option to provide a family restroom that is gender neutral.”
Cost Savings, Durability and Ease of Maintenance
Turning our attention back to cost savings, durability and ease of maintenance, there are some design changes happening on this front that satisfy administrators’ desires.
For improved efficiency and lower maintenance costs, many
districts are installing low-flow fixtures and touchless faucets. They’re also installing waterless urinals, but Ferking notes that these fixtures require training by the maintenance staff to maintain them properly. And they’re installing poured epoxy flooring, which is seamless, so there are less places for dirt and germs to form, and it’s easier to clean.
To reduce vandalism, which keeps maintenance and repair costs down, administrators are still opting for urinals in gender- inclusive spaces, rather than installing toilets only, as they’re
easy to clean and maintain. Bearing in mind that all restrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms tend to have more privacy and less supervision than do say, classrooms, cafeterias and gymnasiums, they’re greater targets for vandalism and, as Wroble notes, a roll of toilet paper is not going to be shoved down a urinal.
Vandalism also comes into the picture in these two examples. The first is that boys are harder on their environments than are girls. The second is that visiting teams have less respect for your space than they do their own. Reducing vandalism means install- ing vandal-resistant fixtures and sturdy materials to the best level you can.
The phrasing “to the best level you can” is intended to direct your attention to the design balancing act that comes with reduc- ing vandalism and providing privacy. Restrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms still need to look pleasant. “Schools are not prisons,” says Wroble, “they’re places for students to learn and be comfortable.”
One way Wroble’s clients are saving money in restroom, locker room and shower room facilities is via a conversation about the number of showers and restroom facilities needed. “Most students don’t want to shower at school after team practice, preferring to do so at home, and many don’t have the time or desire to shower after gym,” he says. “So we have a discussion about what is the right bal- ance of showers and bathroom facilities for students. We’re seeing the size greatly reduced.”
Safety Considerations
Safety has always been a concern in the design of restrooms, shower rooms and locker rooms and, with gender inclusive spaces being discussed, safety, along with privacy, has taken on a new concern.
The general consensus is that multi-fixture restrooms are less likely to draw inappropriate behavior than are individual-fixture restrooms. Therefore, some administrators are leaning toward keeping separate bathrooms but providing an extra level of privacy so that you, as an individual, and everyone around you, are com- fortable using the bathroom of your choice.
The extra level of privacy comes by installing zero sightline, taller partitions. “For example, one district has decided to use partitions that are four inches up from the floor and up to 7 feet, 4 inches tall, so no one can look underneath or stand on a toilet
30 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MAY 2017
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