Planning and Design of Airport Terminal Restrooms and Ancillary Spaces (2021)

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4 Introduction 1.1 How to Use This Guidebook The task of planning and designing traveler-responsive restrooms and amenities is compli- cated. Nearly every expectation, requirement, or initiative conflicts with another. Adding enough space to maneuver in the toilet stall with a carry-on bag, for example, takes away potential income-generating square footage for concessions or holdrooms. However, com- pressing the plumbing chase footprint to increase usable restroom area creates a hardship for the plumbers. Piecing together this puzzle requires more than just one or two facilities staff and an architect. It requires a team: the restroom and amenities team (see Chapter 2). Representatives of all airport stakeholders and outside experts should work together to priori- tize customer accommodations so that the planning and design are fiscally responsible and do not adversely compromise airport operations. The scope of this guidebook focuses on public airport restrooms in both airside and landside areas. However, many of the considerations apply to airport staff restrooms as well. In addition to restrooms, the research team has identified the following amenity spaces as being more frequently implemented and providing important and necessary accommodations for the traveling public. The amenities addressed in this guidebook include • Regulated/essential amenities. These are spaces currently required by the FAA and building codes or are essential for the needs of every traveler: – Service Animal Relief Area (SARA) – Lactation – Nursing Mothers – Companion Care Restroom – Changing Table Restroom (regulation anticipated) • Waiting-related amenities. These spaces provide either distraction or accommodation while waiting for a flight, particularly if it is delayed: – Companion Waiting Area – Children’s Play Area – Sensory Room – Meditation/Quiet Area – Yoga Area – Worship – Ablution – Smoking • Layover-related amenities. These spaces accommodate primarily travelers with an extensive or overnight stay at the airport between connecting flights: – Sleeping – Fitness C H A P T E R 1

Introduction 5 – Public Showers – Clothes Changing – Health/Urgent Care – Business Centers This guidebook is organized chronologically to follow the process that the restroom and amenities team navigates, from determining drivers and goals through post-construction evaluation. Planning is the first of the three primary stages in a restroom project. It is the walk-before- running stage. It is a big picture view of what the airport has and what it needs in terms of where restrooms and amenity spaces should be located, how many fixtures are required, and how much space each location will need. Planning also considers timing—whether all restrooms will be completed at once or in phases. This is different from the design effort, which focuses on the quality of the components rather than the quantity. Design balances the character of the spaces with the durability and maintenance of the materials and facility operations. This requires prioritizing the most impactful components that meet cost and maintenance requirements. When the scope of the work to be done is finalized and documented, the implementation effort begins. Although the implementation or construction period is relatively straightforward, it is an opportunity to monitor which aspects of the design are difficult to build or obtain as well as to refine details both for the project at hand and for future work. With the grand opening of the new spaces comes the compilation of the restroom and amenities standards, which will streamline future restroom initiatives. Figure 1-1 illustrates the restroom development process. DE RE EV E RE C M PLANNING TERMINE NEED FORM STROOM TEAM ALUATE XISTING STROOMS REATE ASTER PLAN D RE D A ES STA EVELOP STROOM ESIGN NALYZE COSTS TABLISH NDARDS DESIGN CON RES R CU SATI R MAN SATI U STA IMPLEMENTATION STRUCT TROOMS EVIEW STOMER SFACTION EVIEW AGEMENT SFACTION PDATE NDARDS Figure 1-1. Restroom and amenities development process.

6 Planning and Design of Airport Terminal Restrooms and Ancillary Spaces Supporting forms and reference materials for this guidebook are provided in Appendices A through I, which are available on the TRB website by searching “ACRP Research Report 226”. Throughout this guidebook, the following icons have been used to highlight significant points of interest: Significant Customer Service Impact Accessibility Sustainability Product Development Opportunity Potential Conflict with Other Needs 1.2 Research Approach The development of this guidebook began with reviewing current resources available for the planning and design of restrooms and amenities, soliciting input from significant stakeholders— including the traveler and the airport management perspectives—and conducting case studies on restrooms of various sizes and amenities at airports of various sizes throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. In the process of studying the evolution of public restrooms and current trends in airport restroom design, the research team envisioned the airport restroom of the future (see Chapter 3) to provoke contemplation and discussion. With an understanding of the state of the industry, the team focused on developing compre- hensive methods for evaluating an airport’s current restroom and amenity facilities to determine the airport’s actual needs. Building on these data, the team developed formulas for restroom sizing along with prototypes and distribution strategies for both restrooms and amenities to aid the restroom and amenities team in its development of a master plan. Considering airports of different sizes, the team developed design considerations to guide the process of selecting components by prioritizing such aspects as costs, maintenance, and sustainability. Guidelines on the impacts of new construction versus renovations were also created. Finally, a process for evaluating the success of a restroom project was formulated to refine an airport’s restroom standards for future projects. 1.3 State of the Industry In 2008, Airport Interviewing & Research, Inc., conducted an extensive survey of airport travelers’ restroom concerns and desires titled “In Search of the Perfect Restroom.” The top findings were 1. Concern about cleanliness and germs 2. Concern about privacy 3. Concern for security of personal belongings 4. Expectations for convenience in terms of amenities and proximity

Introduction 7 Travelers with disabilities also included desires for • Restroom(s) reserved for travelers with disabilities, so they do not have to wait for the accessible stall to be free • Clear signage • Large enough toilet stalls for both maneuvering and belongings Other concerns and desires included preventing the intrusion of natural and fixture noises, providing adequate ventilation and lighting, considering broader fixture features, and providing light colors, as well as using fewer or no grout joints that tend to show dirt. The focus groups and surveys conducted for this guidebook confirmed that these issues remain. It was also confirmed that the airport industry is aware of the customer service issues, although perhaps not to the depth revealed in the outreach efforts conducted for this research. Aviation industry surveys tend to lack enough detail related to restrooms for airport managers to fully appreciate the extent of their customers’ concerns. The aim of this guidebook is to support airport managers by providing the necessary level of detail. Some relatively new amenity spaces, like SARAs and lactation rooms, have to meet similar requirements as restrooms in terms of comfort, durability, and being welcoming. In this guidebook, amenity spaces are considered with the same focus on customer service and airport maintenance as restrooms. 1.4 Attributes of Successful Airport Restrooms and Amenities Ideally, a visit to a restroom is one of many unremarkable daily tasks. Travelers are thinking about that sunny beach that awaits, the opening words of their big presentation, or seeing their kids after a month at the grandparents. The restroom should not jar travelers from their reverie. At most, they should pause as they enter the restroom and think, “Oh, isn’t this pleasant!” Public restrooms in airports often give travelers their first and last impression of their destination. No wonder the passenger’s experience is so high on customer service surveys. In addition, restrooms are the one space in our built world that everyone has an opinion about, and the opinion is often an emotional one. As this guidebook will demonstrate, restrooms and amenities that are successful find a balance among the accommodation of the needs and expectations of the traveler, the efficiency of airport operations, and the costs of building and managing these spaces. While aesthetics are important and certainly impact a traveler’s perceptions of cleanliness and safety, function still rules. Toilets must work and be clean; dispensers need to have ample paper supply; there should be a clean, dry location to place belongings at the sink; the soap dispensers must work; and amenity spaces need to be located where they are needed with the necessary accommodations. Trends in restroom design include touch-free environments, open entryways without doors, large-format materials with minimal joints, concealed trash, alternative hand-drying options, and sustainability. This includes water- and energy-saving flush valves and faucets, energy-efficient lighting, and occupancy sensors. As can be seen in the amenity space types listed in Section 1.1, providing the traveler with the most engaging and accommodating traveling experience is also a rapidly growing trend. The biggest trend in the last decade, however, has been a focus on customer service, which is the primary driver for most of these initiatives and the impetus for this guidebook. Nearly every airport has some means of collecting travelers’ comments—from old school suggestion boxes to social media. The key is to track the pulse of the airport’s heart—its traveling public.