Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design (2015)

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1 There is a change underway in the aviation industry. It is a grassroots movement and the passengers have spoken—through blogs, media articles, and surveys. Restrooms in airport terminals that have lines or are cramped, dirty, smelly, or ugly are no longer tolerable. A bus station aesthetic will not cut it with the rising cost of airfares. If travelers can have a massage and grab a coffee en route to their gate, they feel it reasonable to expect restrooms with a few touches of hospitality such as soft lighting, warm water, and calming music. Such small conveniences are an easy accommodation. However, the real challenge is for airports to provide space so that restrooms have room for people to move around and provide secure, clean, and dry places for their belongings. These are the most frequent complaints, and the industry is in catch-up mode. The driving force behind the development of this guidebook is customer service. When people travel, few things dampen their experience more than confronting a barrier to fulfilling their needs. Airport terminal restrooms are used by the full diversity of humanity in terms of mobility, age, gender, and culture. The further an airport goes to accommodate this spectrum, the more likely a traveler will choose one hub over another. The sign graphic on the cover and the essay on the restroom of the future in Appendix I are symbolic of what should be the commitment to inclusive customer service of every airport—large or small, hub or origin and destination—where every person’s restroom needs are reasonably satisfied. This Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design fills a gap in aviation industry resources, providing airport managers and planning/design professionals the tools to embrace this change utilizing the following: • Findings regarding the state of the industry based on literature review, surveys, focus groups, and case studies. • Planning methods for evaluating existing restrooms to determine what is needed and prototypes to guide the development of a restroom master plan. • Design guidance for different size airports and budgets to compare and prioritize restroom components and features including considerations for new construction/renovation and the benefits of standardization. • Implementation strategies including construction impacts as well as post-construction review. As this guidebook will demonstrate, restrooms that are successful find the balance between accommodating the needs and expectations of the traveler, the efficiency of airport operations, and the cost of building and managing these spaces. While aesthetics are important and certainly affect a traveler’s perceptions of cleanliness and safety, function still rules. Trends in restroom design focus on touch-free environments, open entryways without doors, S U M M A R Y Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design

2 Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design large-format materials with minimum joints, concealed trash, space for belongings, hand- drying options, and sustainability. In the development of this guidebook, additional restroom-related scope was uncovered that includes lactation rooms, nursing mother lounges, pet relief areas, and shower facilities. This scope is not included herein but is anticipated to be the focus of a future guidebook. This guidebook is not intended to provide definitive solutions. Every airport has a unique context and challenging issues. The ideas in this resource often conflict with each other and some will simply not be feasible due to restrictions in space and/or budget. Through research, case studies, focus groups, and surveys, the effort of the researchers has been to collect issues, considerations, and insights to allow the restroom team (representatives from all airport stakeholders and outside experts) to creatively navigate the decisions required to plan and design restrooms that are the best fit for their airport and its travelers.