Page 44 - Tropic Magazine Issue 33

TROPIC • ARCHITECTURE

Credit: Stalled!

Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, one
of the busiest in the country, is among
those taking the lead on this. New all-
Inclusive design gender facilities have been provided
by transforming existing sex-segregated
PUBLIC BATHROOMS toilets and installing several
all-gender options.
Queensland and Papua New Unsurprisingly, there are no urinals.
Guinea Registered Architect My company has also been removing
Andrew McFadden explains urinals as part of a project in Papua
New Guinea. In 2014, the United Nations
why it’s time to rethink public ranked PNG 140th out of 155 countries for
restroom design. gender equality. The PNG Defence
Force, in partnership with the Australian
Everyone deserves a safe and comfortable Defence Force and PAWA Architecture,
place to be … and pee! How safe and has recently fitted out a 50-year-old
comfortable do people really feel when accommodation building for recruits,
using a public restroom? It’s time to which includes gender neutral facilities.
foster safe, sustainable, and inclusive In what is a heavily male-dominated Designing a safe
public restrooms for everyone – profession, all existing urinals have & inclusive space
regardless of gender, age, race, religion, been removed and replaced with toilet
and ability. cubicles, to encourage and promote • Large open area
Approximately three per cent of the gender inclusion. • Multi-faceted shared
world’s population is gender diverse, The idea of shared facilities may cause zones
non-binary or transgender, for whom many of us baulk, for a range of reasons. • Natural light
choosing a male or female loo can be However, good design is key to making • Clear sight lines
an identity battlefield. Since 2001, the it work. So, what does a gender-neutral, • Increased cubicle privacy
Australian building code has required all-inclusive public restroom look like? • All abilities friendly
mobility and access standards in public Shared facilities must have large open • No urinals!
bathrooms for the 4.4 million Australians areas, natural light, clear sight lines and
with disabilities, so is it time to also cubicles with increased privacy. Finding
change regulations to bust the myth that the ‘new normal’ is challenging, but it can MORE: architecture.com.au
only two gender expressions exist? be done.

Cantala Ave | ME | Photographer: Christopher Frederick Jones

44 • Tropic • Issue 33