gender matters in architecture: the challenges of 21st century design of toilet, shower, and bathing...

AIA PITTSBURGH

Provider Number: A217

Gender Matters in Architecture

Course Code: Gender_BP17

Jeff Light, AIA; Larry Payne, AIA, LEED AP BD+C - WTW Architects;

Andy Grese - Allegheny County Department of Health;

Henry Hegerle - Code Reviewer

April 5, 2017 2:15-3:15 PM

Credit(s) earned on completion of

this course will be reported to AIA

CES for AIA members. Certificates

of Completion for both AIA

members and non-AIA members

are available upon request.

This course is registered with AIA

CES for continuing professional

education. As such, it does not

include content that may be

deemed or construed to be an

approval or endorsement by the

AIA of any material of construction

or any method or manner of

handling, using, distributing, or

dealing in any material or

product.

___________________________________________

Questions related to specific materials, methods,

and services will be addressed at the conclusion

of this presentation.

This presentation is protected by US and International Copyright laws.

Reproduction, distribution, display and use of the presentation without written

permission of the speaker is prohibited.

© WTW Architects 2017

Copyright Materials

How do we create awareness, advocate for, and create comfort for all

individual needs that relate to gender inclusiveness in 21st century facility

design?

Join this roundtable discussion with architects and code officials on

strategies employed and possibilities for meeting the requirements for toilet,

shower, and bathing facilities with the goal of creating stress-free zones for

all. The case studies presented will include shower rooms, toilet and

bathing facilities for University and K-12 facilities. The difference between

gender equal, neutral, and inclusive facilities will also be explained.

Additionally, the presenters will address the role of the design professional

as they advocate for equity in design to their community and clients, and

through changes in policy.

Course Description

At the end of the this course, participants will be able to:

Recognize which codes and regulations affect toilet and shower

facilities in the State of Pennsylvania

Understand the primary strategies for providing comfort to all in

toilet, shower, and bathing facilities

Meet the requirements of the plumbing code for two-gender

fixture counts while designing for gender inclusiveness

Recognize the opportunities to affect change with regard to

gender in the building codes and other advocacy efforts

Learning Objectives

Pennsylvania UCC - Uniform Construction Code

2009 ICC with the exception of:

Chapter 11 and Appendix E which are of the 2015 IBC

2009 IPC

Allegheny County Health Department

2009 IPC with Article XV revisions:

http://www.achd.net/plumbing/pubs/pdf/plumbingcode15.pdf

Relevant Codes & Standards

Pennsylvania Requirements for Urinals

419.2 Substitutions for water closets.

In each bathroom or toilet room, urinals shall not be substituted for more

than 67% of the required water closets in assembly and educational

occupancies. Urinals shall not be substituted for more than 50% of the

required water closets in all other occupancies.

Allegheny County Requirements for Urinals

Section 419 Urinals

IPC 419.2 Delete & Replace with:

AC-419.2 Number of Urinals. The number of urinals for males shall be at

least 50% of the total number of water closets required for males. The

number of water closets may be decreased by the number of urinals which

are used, but the number of remaining water closets shall not be less than

50% of the original tabulation total.

Meeting Plumbing Code Requirements

Gender Identity – Is each person’s internal and individual experience of

gender. It is their sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither or

anywhere along the gender spectrum. A person’s gender identity may be

the same as or different from their birth-assigned sex. Gender identity is

fundamentally different from a person’s sexual orientation.

Gender Expression – Is how a person publicly presents their gender. This

can include behavior and outward appearance such as dress, hair, make-

up, body language and voice. A person’s chosen name and pronoun are

also common ways of expressing gender.

Gender-Equal/Neutral – Not referring to either sex but only to people in

general.

All-Gender/Gender-Inclusive – Accessible to and usable by as many

people as reasonably possible... without the need for special adaptation

or specialized design.

Definitions

Residence Hall Shower/ Toilet Room Plan

Shower/ Toilet Pod

Centralized Private Bathrooms

Gender Neutral vs. Inclusive

FEASIBILITY REVIEW

accommodations within existing facilities requiring minimal plan modifications

2013

March – Oregon high school retrofits toilet rooms for transgender students.

July – Department of Justice and the Arcadia Unified School District in

California reached a resolution agreement.

2014

April – Ontario Human Rights Commission released policy amendments to the

Human Rights Code of 1962 on preventing discrimination because of gender

identity and gender expression.

2016

May – Obama Administration issues guidence to allow transgender students

to use bathrooms matching their gender identity.

September – Pine Richland School District rejects mandate to permit students

to use facilities they identify with.

2017

February – Trump Administration notes it will not defend the Obama Admin.

mandate and puts responsibility to establish laws back on individual states.

March – Supreme Court reversed its earlier decision to hear the case following

the Trump administration’s repeal of Title IX guidance for transgender

students citing there were not sufficient grounds for the case to be argued.

Recent History

Influencers

How can we modify existing toilet, shower and locker room facilities

to be more inclusive and offer the same level of privacy for all?

The Question

Presently, there is no guidance, rules or regulations regarding toilet

rooms for other than male, female and family assist toilet rooms.

Therefore any decision to use these facilities for other use would be

the decision and responsibility of the building owners and should

not be considered as recommended by the Allegheny County

Health Department Plumbing Division.

The Plumbing Board and the Board of Health need to review and

approve future code revisions regarding this issue.

Codes have to be fair to individuals on both sides of the issue.

This issue will likely be considered for the 2018 Codes, then there

will be additional time before the State adopts future codes.

Allegheny County Health Department

Fixtures: Recessed more than 24” into an alcove need to

have an alcove width of 36” minimum (ANSI A117.1-2009: 305.7).

Compartment: would need to provide a clear width of 36”.

Door: an ambulatory water closet compartment may be a similar

condition.

An out swinging door is permitted on an ambulatory stall and shall provide 32”

of clear width when opened at 90 degrees (ANSI A117.1-2009: 604.10).

The section does not state a water closet is the fixture required in

this type of compartment, although IBC 2015: 1109.2.2 may infer

that direction.

Grab Bars: may be required for an ambulatory compartment

even though it may serve a urinal.

Code Consultant

Seeing a movement towards more single-use toilet rooms.

2009 IBC still has gender designations.

Accessible urinal partition enclosure use must provide

maneuvering area i.e. 60” turning radius.

Future Codes should provide more paths for compliance.

Recommend discussing further w/ICC.

Pennsylvania Dept. of Labor & Industry

Accessible wall hung urinal must be fully accessible per

ANSI A117.1-2009:

Depth – minimum of 13½” from outer face of rim to wall

Rim – maximum of 17” above the floor

Clear Floor Space – 30”w. x 48”d. clear floor space for forward approach

Flush Controls – hand-operated or automatic

Ambulatory stalls do not provide adequate maneuvering area.

If all urinals are in compartments then the accessible urinal should

be within a compartment that provides a 60” turning radius.

Staff code opinions issued by ICC technical staff do not represent the

official position of the International Code Council. The final authority

of code opinions is the responsibility of the local code official.

Staff opinion is not intended to influence the local code official.

International Code Council

Base Line Square Footage

Meets UCC Accessibility & ADA Guidelines

Toilet Room

Square Footage Unchanged

Question UCC Accessibility & ADA Guidelines

Moves Towards Gender-Neutral

Elevated Privacy

Accessory Relocation

Modified Toilet Room



Gender-Neutral

Elevated Privacy

Maintenance Concerns

Modified Toilet Room



All-Gender

Full Privacy

Maintenance Concerns

Increased HVAC

Increased Plumbing

All-Gender Design



Elevated Privacy

Separate Usage Areas

All-Gender Design



Not Gender-Neutral

Standard Privacy

Locker/Toilet/Shower Room



Moves Towards Gender-Neutral

Decreased Locker Count: 29%

Fixtures Locations Shift

Changing Remote from Locker

Elevated Privacy

Modified Locker/Toilet/Shower Room

Expanded Square Footage: 9% Larger


Gender-Neutral

Decreased Locker Count: 29%

Fixtures Locations Unchanged

Changing Remote from Locker

Elevated Privacy

Gender-Neutral Design



Gender-Neutral

Changing at Lockers

Standard Privacy

Locker Room Suite


UCC Accessibility & ADA Guidelines

Maintains Locker Count

Gender-Neutral

Private Changing Remote

from Lockers

Enhanced Privacy

Gender-Neutral Locker Room Suite


UCC Accessibility & ADA Guidelines

Maintains Locker Count

Gender-Neutral

All Private Changing

Remote from Lockers

3:1 Ratio

Full Privacy

for Everyone

Gender-Neutral Locker Room Suite

Design – Align w/Policy

Options – Discuss w/Owners to Educate

Owner’s Risk/Reward – Indemnification

Code Officials – Engage Early

Compliance – Review Alternative Compliance Paths

Single-use Toilet Rooms Available to All

Gender-Neutral vs All-Gender

Gender-Neutral vs Dedicated Toilet & Changing Facilities

Alternative Compliance Paths Not Defined Yet

Toilet Room Modifications: SF Neutral

Locker Room Modifications: SF Increase or Locker Decrease

Shower Room Modifications: SF Increase

Considerations & Findings

Architects – Educate Ourselves

Clients – Emphasize the Advantages of Everyone Being

Comfortable in their Environment

Code Entities – Communicate How it is Important for People

To Feel Comfortable in their Environment Over Separate

Fixture Counts

Code Officials – Entities Defer to Local Code Officials,

Review Options Early to get Buy-in

Legislators – Review How it is Time to End Separate but

Equal Considerations in Toilet Facilities in Favor of Creative

Solutions for Comfort

Opportunities to Affect Change

This concludes The American Institute of Architects

Continuing Education Systems Course

Gender Matters in Architecture:

The Challenges of 21st Century Design of

Toilet, Shower, and Bathing Facilities

Larry Payne, AIA, LEED AP BD+C – WTW Architects

[email protected]

Jeff Light, AIA

[email protected]

Andy Grese – Allegheny County Department of Health

[email protected]

Henry Hegerle – Code Reviewer

[email protected]

AIA PITTSBURGH

The Williams Institute – UCLA School of Law

[email protected]

The Society Pages – Department of Sociology,

University of Minnesota

www.thesocietypages.org

National Center for Lesbian Rights

www.nclrights.org

Gender Spectrum Think Tank

www.genderspectrumthinktank.org

American Civil Liberties Union

www.aclu.org/safeschools

National Education Association

www.nea.org

GLAAD

www.glaad.org

References

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.thesocietypages.org/about/

http://www.nclrights.org/

http://www.genderspectrumthinktank.org/

http://www.aclu.org/safeschools

http://www.nea.org/

http://www.glaad.org/