Summer 2004

Volume 1, Issue 1 The Toilet Paper

We should like towelcome you to the firstNewsletter from theInclusive Design of ‘AwayFrom Home’ (Public)Toilets in City Centresresearch project. The aimof the research is toimprove our knowledgeabout the design of publictoilets for ALL users, bethey young or old, able ordisabled, but also thosewith differing beliefs andexperiences of toiletdesign. The research alsoaims to explore the

Inclusive Design of Public Toilets

Project beginningsThe project began inSeptember 2003 byinitially asking if the lack ofpublic toilets stoppedpeople traveling to the citycentre. A review ofprevious research led usto conclude that toilets areindeed an importantfactor. In fact, the lack ofpublic toilets could beconsidered one of theweak links in the transportchain that enables peopleto leave their homes andtravel to city centres.

The project has alsoreviewed other areas ofconcern including different

assumptions and attitudesthat shape therequirements of both toiletusers and providers.

The research will betaking place until Spring2006 and will look at toiletprovision in London,Manchester and Sheffield.We will also be talkingwith a wide variety ofusers, either in focusgroups or one-to-oneinterviews, to find out howthe current design of awayfrom home toilets, those

run by local authoritiesand those used in cafes,pubs, restaurants etc.,meet or fail to meetpeoples needs.

With October’simplementation of Part 3of the DDA, access to thecity centre should becomemuch easier for all peoplewith disabilities. Thisresearch hopes to recordthe changes made toaccessible toilet provisionand see if designers aregetting it right.

ways of involving users in‘user centered’ research.We have alsosystematically reviewedthe various buildingregulations and BritishStandards that arereferred to whendesigning all toilet facilitiesbut especially accessible(disabled) toilets. We arenow putting thisknowledge in the field withour pilot case study of theClerkenwell area ofLondon.

However, it is October’simplementation of Part 3of the DDA that the

research foresees beingan important agent forchange. In October,owners of existingbuildings will be requiredto make ‘reasonable’changes to their toiletprovision, underguidelines set out in thebuilding regulations. Overtime, the improvedbuilding regulationscoupled with the DDAshould lead to moreaccessible cities, towns,parks etc and of coursemore accessible toilets.

Inclusive Design of Public ToiletsCity Cenb

“Disabled toilets are poorly

designed… Why don’t

architects and designersconsult disabled people”.

Professor JulienneHanson is interested inpublic toilets because theyrepresent a very private,domestic function that inthis case takes place inpublic space.

Meet the Team

Since March we haveconducted 5 focus groupswith a range of differentusers whose concernshave included urostomiesand continence. We havealso spoken with parentsand paid carers of childrenand young adults withspecial needs. The focusgroups have given manypeople the opportunity toshare their experiences ofthe best and worst ofpublic toilet provision.Unfortunately most

Focus Groups

The information given atfocus groups has beentranslated into ‘personas’.These are narratives thatrepresent the concerns ofa group of people whoshare similarcircumstances, which canthen be used to

Personas

Page 2 of 4

Professor Clara Greed Ofthe University of the Westof England, has publishedmany papers on theproblems of public toiletsin the built environmentand is the author of‘Inclusive Urban Design:Public Toilets’.

Ms Jo-Anne Bichard isthe Research fellow onthe project and haspreviously researchedWomen’s Turkish Bathsand neuroscientists.

experiences have beennegative, furtheremphasizing the need forwider knowledge on theproblems of accessingdisabled and standardtoilet facilities.A major concern that hasarisen amongst all wehave spoken with so far, isregarding the space of thetoilet. Other concernshave been voicedregarding ventilation,lighting and of coursecleanliness. The need for

adult sized changingbenches has been raisedby parental andprofessional carers. Mostpeople we’ve spoken tooagree that maintaininggood toilet facilities wouldbe difficult without anattendant. We anticipatethat as the researchcontinues many othertoilet design features willbe discussed and linksmade between groupswho share the need for aparticular design feature.

communicate specificneeds to designers andarchitects. So far we havebuilt 5 personasrepresenting a range ofdifferent users’ needsconcerns and wishesregarding toilet design. Allpersonas are constructed

in consultation with thefocus group whoparticipated in theinformation gathering.This is done to assure anaccurate persona isconstructed thatrepresents the specifics ofthe group’s needs.

In ‘Superloos’, a timer would restore a sense of control to the user.

Inclusive Design of Public ToiletsPage 3 of 4

Our pilot case study in theClerkenwell area ofLondon is currentlyunderway. Clerkenwell hasbeen described asLondon’s ‘medieval village’with many historic streetsand buildings. However italso provides a goodexample of an urban areawithout any on-street localauthority public toiletprovision. Coupled with alively bar and club scene,the lack of public toiletscould be responsible for arise in street urination. Wewill be asking businessesand residents if they havenoticed any particularproblems in relation to this.

Pilot Case Study: Clerkenwell

At one of our focusgroups, parents weretalking about theirconcerns about needing totake upwards of half anhour to change their child.This would sometimeslead to embarrassmentand hostility with respectto other toilet users. Thedesign solution becameobvious; a timer for theaccessible toilet. Thetimer would incorporate avisible and audible‘countdown’ timer,controlled by the userfrom inside the cubicle,but also visible tosomeone queuing outside,

Fixtures and Fittings

Closed Public Toilet,Clerkenwell Green.

We have been distributingsurveys, asking localbusinesses about theirprovision of accessibletoilets, especially inrelation to October’simplementation of theDDA.We have also been askingpeople on the street fortheir preferencesregarding public toilets,including if they knowwhere the nearest one is.We hope to be speaking tomany more people duringthe forthcomingArchitectural Biennale, aswell as assessing how anarea without on streetpublic toilets will providefacilities for visitors.

If you live or work in theClerkenwell area andwould like to contribute tothe research regardingissues such as theproblem of street urination,the lack of on-street toiletprovision, and especiallyexperiences of the area’slack of accessible toilets,please contact Jo-AnneBichard on 020 7679 8224or by e-mail at:j.bichard@ucl.ac.uk

showing the count downto when the toilet willbecome vacant. The timerwill override any‘automatic’ aspects of thecubicle (lighting, flush,door lock) so that the useris fully in control of thesetting. The timer needsto be re-settable but with atime limit after which thedoor will unlock (not open)and / or an alarm orintercom link will beactivated (to minimizepotential anti-social use.The timer would also begood for Automatic PublicConveniences or‘superloos’ where the

users feel intimidated bythe automatic technology.The timer would restore asense of control.

Newsletter TitlePage 4 of 4

Toilets are a fascinatingsubject to the world’snews media, with a toiletstory appearing daily fromsomewhere across theglobe . Currently the bignews from the USAconcerns the glitches inSeattle’s new automatic

The Inclusive Design ofAway From Home Toiletsin City Centres researchproject regularly meetswith it’s advisorycommittee to report on theprogress of the research .The committee has beengathered from a range oftoilet interest groups, localauthorities andmanufacturers and

Advisory Committee

Toilet news

Vivacity 2020 is auniversity based researchconsortium comprising ofthe University of Salford,UCL, Sheffield HallamUniversity, LondonMetropolitan University

About Vivacity 2020

Inclusive Design ofAway From Home‘Public’ Toilets in

City Centres.

Bartlett School ofGraduate StudiesUCL, (Torrington

Place Site),Gower Street

LondonWC1E 6BT

PHONE:020 7679 8224

FAX:020 7916 1887

E-MAIL:J.BICHARD@UCL.

AC.UK

We’re on the Web!See us at:

www.vivacity2020.org

The Bartlett School of Architecture, Building, Environmental Design and Planning.Faculty of the Built Environment University College London

includes: The Centre forAccessible Environments,The British ToiletAssociation, Is There AnAccessible Loo,Westminster, Sheffieldand Manchester Citycouncils, British Instituteof Cleaning Science,W&G Sissons, ArmitageShanks, and the DisabilityRights Commission.

toilet facilities. Problemsinclude the doors failing toshut and the long cleaningtimes resulting in queuesof people waiting to usethem.In the Philippines capitalManila, a shortage ofclassrooms to double as

polling rooms meant thattoilets were used aspolling booths in lastmonth’s elections.Meanwhile closer to homeTorbay council wererecently presented with apetition of 20,000signatures againstproposed toilet closures.

and the University of theWest of England. Theresearch project has beenfunded by the Engineeringand Physical SciencesResearch Council(EPSRC) and is looking at

a range of aspects to citycentre living includinghousing, crime and theenvironment, as well asday to day aspects suchas adequate public toiletfacilities.