Imagine two restrooms for public use. One is near a busy playground for the community and sports complex. The other is a remote trailhead surrounded with open land.
Both provide the same essential service, but designing them as identical buildings does not consider the way in which different places operate.
The site is a first step in building a good public bathroom. Who will use the facilities? How many people can arrive in one go? What facilities are available? How far will visitors have to be able to walk? What is the architectural style that surrounds the building?
Image credit: romtec.com
Answering these questions can influence nearly all subsequent decisions.
Start by looking at how users navigate the site
The placement of toilets shouldn’t be viewed separately from the rest of a park. When a facility is a sport, large crowds may crowd around games and events. Toilets that are used for play areas need to be conveniently located for families and fit comfortably within the pedestrian flow. In a downtown setting, sidewalk restrooms may have to work within a tighter footprint and complement nearby streetscape features.
The structure is just one aspect of the experience. Location is affected by the surrounding environment, accessibility, pathways, and activities.
Remote sites create a new Problem
Make the project more remote from existing streets and infrastructure. A picturesque overlook, camping area, trailhead, or other remote recreational area may not have a practical connection to sewer services that are conventional. When used appropriately the vault toilets could provide an alternative to traditional plumbing systems in areas that are difficult or unpractical.
The design discussion is distinct. Rather than selecting a building first, design teams are able to evaluate the site’s conditions and determine which restroom system is appropriate for the site.
Capacity should reflect actual use
A park in a peaceful neighbourhood and a complex for sports in the region don’t share the same types of patrons. The peak demand is crucial. The peak demand is critical.
Before construction, owners should consider the actual usage of bathrooms, including their size, layout, and maintenance requirements.
If you are a company looking at constructed park restrooms flexible designs are beneficial since the structure can be configured around the project’s requirements instead of making the location fit an established model.
Architecture Still Belongs in the Conversation
An appearance isn’t ignored simply because it’s an aspect. The bathroom is an essential part of the public landscape. The roof’s forms and colors, sidings, fixtures and masonry can be used to link it to adjacent pavilions, concessions and natural surroundings, or a community design theme.
Romtec’s custom approach allows teams to work with different colors, materials and shapes, as well as exterior treatments, rather than being restricted to a standard appearance.
Designing for the Place, not Just the Design for the
Romtec partners with park owners and contractors to construct and supply restrooms as well as other public buildings. Its expertise is in documents for building construction and code requirements, ADA considerations as well as the engineering process, selecting components and construction across the United States.
The key starting point however, is surprisingly straightforward. Decide on what kind of bathroom you’d like build. Begin by studying what is currently happening on the property which includes people, activities and infrastructure. Then design the building which is a part of it.