Places of Necessity: Research and Design for NYC Public Restrooms

Join the AIANY Design for Aging Committee for a presentation of design proposals by students in Pratt Institute School of Design‘s Summer 2025 class “Public Toilets.” This class is a combination of research and design thinking to investigate the public toilet experience, resulting in students proposing a site and design approach for a new public restroom in NYC.

Whether a traveler, local away from home, or person experiencing homelessness, access to public toilets is something that we all need. In New York City, the access to public toilets varies greatly depending on the area. Some are well maintained and accessible, while others look like prison bathrooms. For some, access to a toilet may impact how long they can be out of their home. For a person experiencing homelessness, access to a bathroom may determine if they can be presentable enough to maintain a job.

Fixture counts, locations, gender approach, sight lines, accessibility and clearances are important topics as we design the restroom experience, as well as location within the city, gendered and non gendered rooms, degree of visual and audible privacy, access to plumbing, running water, and maintenance.

The presentation will cover an introduction to public restrooms in New York City, a few case studies of modular public restrooms, and the students' design proposals for new restrooms in Central Park.

Speakers:
Margot Kleinman, AIA, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Pratt Institute 

Student Presenters:
Soohyun Ahn, MFA '27
Elizabeth Hammett, MFA '27