DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL PUBLIC WASHROOMS AND INDIVIDUAL TOILET ROOMS.

Small public washrooms (Fig. 16, 17, 18) require one standard 60" (1524mm) wide toilet compartment because it is the most universally usable. Minimum 60" (1524mm) diameter or T-shaped turning spaces are also required, as well as a barrier-free lavatory, accessories, and access aisles that meet ADAAG specifications. Entry doors should swing into vestibules, not directly into corridors, access aisles, or clear floor spaces required by lavatories and other washroom equipment.

Individual toilet rooms Under ADAAG, the minimum size of individual toilet rooms (as shown in Fig. 19) is determined by combining the clear floor spaces required for each feature or fixture, the turning space, and maneuvering clearances at doors. In-swinging entry doors must not swing into any clear floor space required for lavatories and other washroom equipment. Out-swinging entry doors may be used only if they swing into another room, such as a patient’s room or a private office, vestibule or alcove, but never into a corridor. Locating the lavatory next to the toilet will eliminate the option of a parallel approach to the toilet by people using wheelchairs; therefore, to maximize usability, design individual toilet rooms so there is a minimum clearance of 60" (1524mm) from side wall of toilet to the adjacent lavatory, or locate lavatory on a different wall altogether. This 60" (1524mm) minimum dimension is a requirement in the ICC/ANSI 98 Standard. Additionally, the clear floor space required for toilets not located in compartments is larger than those in the ADAAG. In ICC/ANSI 98 no fixture can obstruct the 60" x 56" (1524–1422mm) minimum clear floor space for toilets. These differences may result in larger minimum room sizes when following the ICC/ANSI 98 Standard than may result from ADAAG specifications. Figure drawings in this section of the Planning Guide reflect these differences. Because individual toilet rooms provide privacy for a physically disabled person who needs the help of an attendant (or even a child who needs the help of a parent), especially when they are of the opposite sex, it may be useful to provide this type of unisex or family toilet room (Fig. 19) in addition to multi-compartment washrooms in many large public buildings.

As in all barrier-free facilities, small public washrooms and individual toilet rooms should meet or exceed ADAAG specifications for entrance and exit, lavatories, toilets, grab bars, accessories, controls, and operating mechanisms. Refer to previous sections, Space for People in Wheelchairs and Planning a Barrier-Free Washroom, for information on specific ADAAG requirements and universal-design features.

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