Privacy, Health, and Safety

Public rest rooms should be clean, safe environments. Designing private bathroom spaces with partitioned toilets requires attention to privacy, security, health, and sanitary conditions. Public and private areas may be clearly defined by the location of toilet partitioning systems. Aligning the toilet and sink areas opposite one another using toilet partitions as space dividers separates public and private zones. Successful public spaces prioritize user comfort, ease of movement through the space, cleanliness, and the brevity of time required to use the facility.

Theater design is a case in point. "In the movie theater and exhibition industry, the ability to move people is very similar to the approach applied at Disney properties. Movie show times are staggered to control and mitigate ingress and egress of hundreds of moviegoers, or patrons. Convenient location, disbursement of facilities throughout the theater complex, and the number of rest room facilities for men and women follow the same theory," said James T. Martino, AIA, principal of James Thomas Martino Architect, P.C., in Port Washington, New York.

The use of toilet partitions to sub-divide a bathroom facility can affect air circulation. If not properly planned, poor air circulation in a bathroom space with toilet partitions can cause moisture pockets and air circulation barriers. The building design must provide appropriate mechanical systems, which require careful review and coordination of architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems to ensure proper ventilation.

Theater Lobby, Annapolis, Maryland Architect: James Thomas Martin, Architect, P.C.

The architect reviews toilet partition shop drawings from the manufacturer and coordinates the design with mechanical systems for air and moisture control in wet zones. Architects should review the location of fresh air and return air ducts in conditioned bathroom facilities, as these systems may impact the location of toilet partitions, panel heights, quantities of toilet partitions, frequency of use, and proximity to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. When these design factors are well orchestrated, bathroom areas in public facilities provide comfort and optimal airflow.

Public rest rooms should be safe spaces. When planning high-traffic public areas, architects must consider the possibility that individuals may try to damage, destroy, or vandalize the finishes, furnishings, and equipment in a space. Toilet partition design must address minimizing damage from vandalism, theft, and defacement.

These factors impact the design for secure closing mechanisms, variable partition heights, finish surfaces, and panel spacing. Various surfaces may be specified to provide durability, such as a washable, stain-resistant, painted-on finish for metal panels that addresses ease of maintenance due to vandalism. Continuous hinge-side fillers enhance privacy by visually sealing the gap between the compartment door and the vertical support, or stanchion. A full height continuous stop and keeper eliminates the sight gap on the stop side of the door, and protects against vandalism because doors cannot be "racked," or bent, by pulling on the top corner of the door, as can occur with a single-point stop and keeper.