ICC G3-2011 Global Guideline for Practical Public Toilet Design CHAPTER 3: GENERAL REGULATIONS Section 301 tures for such, should be designed to with- Public Toilet Provisions stand the effects of the weather, external loads, heavy usage, abuse, vandalism, 301.1 Public toilet – basic provisions, and other undesired activities. general. Public toilets should provide clean, safe, accessible, convenient, and hygienic 301.6 Pay facilities. Where pay facilities facilities to the public at a level of privacy are installed, such facilities should be in adequate to perform necessary personal excess of the required minimum facilities. sanitary functions. Careful consideration should be given to the method of collecting payment for rea- 301.1.1 Opening hours. The opening sons of safety, accessibility and user com- and closing times of public toilets should fort. Turnstiles should not be installed. be appropriate to local demand and ac- tivity patterns. In some areas, fully op- Section 302 erational 24-hour facilities should be provided; these can be supplemented by Interior Environment automatic public conveniences, if nec- 302.1 Temperature control. Interior essary. Men and women should have spaces intended for human occupancy equal access to these facilities. should be provided with active or passive 301.2 Public served. Public toilet facilities space-heating systems capable of main- should provide for the needs of people of taining a minimum indoor temperature of different cultural needs and genders, all 18°C (64°F) at a point 914 millimeters (3 age groups, parents and children, people feet) above the fl oor on the design heating with disabilities and their care givers. day. At a minimum, equipment and sys- tems should be capable of maintaining a 301.3 Functionality. A public toilet should temperature above freezing. provide facilities for the public to urinate, defecate, clean themselves, groom and Section 303 tend to other bodily needs in a secure, pri- Lighting vate and clean environment and should be functional at all times during normal hours 303.1 General. Every space intended for of operation. A public toilet should be kept in human occupancy should be provided with a hygienic condition at all times to prevent natural light by means of exterior glazed the spread of germs, bacteria, infection and openings or provided with artifi cial light in disease. Scheduled maintenance shall be accordance with Section 303.3. performed to keep facilities in a safe and sanitary condition at all times. 303.2 Natural light. When utilizing natural light, the minimum net glazed area should 301.4 Signage. Required public toilet facili- not be less than 8 percent of the fl oor area ties should be designated by a legible sign of the room served. National standards for each sex. Signs should be readily vis- should be acceptable. ible and located near the entrance to each toilet facility and prominently displayed in 303.3 Artifi cial light. When local codes main traffi c passageways. Signs should be or standards do not regulate lighting, this so designed as to utilize a commonly rec- section shall govern. When utilizing artifi - ognized female and/or male fi gure in dark cial light, it should provide an average illu- color contrasted on a light background. mination of 107 lux (10 foot-candles) over the area of the room at a height of 762 mil- 301.5 Durability. Public toilets and the fi t- limeters (30 inches) above the fl oor level. tings, valves, piping, accessories and fi x- 7 ICC G3-2011 Global Guideline for Practical Public Toilet Design 303.4 Emergency lighting. Emergency il- Section 305 lumination devices shall be provided so as Interior Space to illuminate the necessary path of egress to allow all occupants to exit the public toilet 305.1 Floors. Floors should be construct- facility in a safe manner. ed of waterproof, nonslip surfaces such as ceramic tiles, natural stone, homoge- Section 304 neous tiles, terrazzo or other surfaces that Ventilation are durable. 304.1 Public toilet rooms. Public toilet 305.2 Walls. Walls should be covered with rooms should be ventilated by natural or ceramic tiles, natural stone, homogeneous mechanical means. tiles, stainless steel, enamel-coated steel panels, glass block, aluminum panels, or 304.2 Natural ventilation. Natural ven- other durable surface material of equal re- tilation of an occupied space should be sistance. through windows, doors, louvers or other openings to the outdoors. The operating Section 306 mechanism for such openings should be Dimensions provided with access so that the openings are controllable by the building occupants 306.1 Minimum ceiling heights. When and securable in the event the public toilet local code requirements do not address room must be secured from vandalism. ceiling heights, this section shall prevail. Toilet rooms, storage rooms and other 304.3 Mechanical ventilation. If me- occupiable spaces related to public toi- chanically ventilated, the air exchange rate lets should be permitted to have a ceiling should have a minimum of 15 air changes height of not less than 2134 millimeters (7 per hour or 35.4 L/s (75 cfm) exhaust per feet). toilet cubicle. Suitable replacement air should be pro- Section 307 vided for exhaust systems to ensure a slight Privacy negative pressure within the public toilet. 307.1 Public toilet entry. Entry to public The replacement air may be taken directly toilets should be designed with offset en- from the exterior, or from adjacent spaces tries, cubicles, vestibules or lobbies ca- that are permanently air-conditioned or pable of allowing entry and exiting with- naturally ventilated. The replacement air out making physical contact with surfaces may be drawn through louvers in the doors, such as walls, doors or people. Occupants walls, door undercuts, or other means. in waiting areas or halls should not be able to see through such entry area into The exhaust system should dispel the air the actual toilet. Toilet cubicles, urinals directly outdoors without causing any nui- and mirrors should be sited away from the sance to neighboring premises. line of sight from the main entrance. Mir- The exhaust air should be discharged to rors should be sighted away from sanitary the exterior of the building at a position at fi xtures (water closets, urinals, etc.) when- least 2 meters (6 feet) above the exterior ever possible. surface level and at least 5 meters (16 feet) 307.2 Toilet cubicles. Cubicles or water from any opening into the building where closet compartments should not be less the discharge air may re-enter the building than 900 millimeters wide (36 inches) and such as windows, doors or air intakes. 1524 millimeters deep (60 inches) clear of opened doors. Cubicles should be pro- 8 ICC G3-2011 Global Guideline for Practical Public Toilet Design vided with easily closeable free-swinging cal, bins should be installed so as to be or sliding doors. Doors should have pri- vandal resistant. The bins should be oper- vacy hardware such as latches, sliding able by means other than hand contact. deadbolts or other similar locking devices installed. While user-operated locks should 309.3 Hand drying. A minimum of one be accessible from the inside only, autho- hand-dryer blower or paper towel dis- rized outside key access may be necessary penser should be provided near the hand in emergencies or to take an out-of-order washbasin area. cubicle offl ine. Doors and cubicle partitions 309.4 Refuse bins. A minimum of one should be tightly fi tted so as to avoid gaps refuse bin should be provided near the and openings. Wherever possible, all such hand washbasin area. The bin should be cubicle partitions should extend to within 5 vandal resistant and operated by means centimeters (2 inches) from the fl oor. Par- other than hand contact, such as foot titions between cubicles should extend to pedal, electronic motion sensor devices or at least 2134 millimeters (7 feet) above the other acceptable methods. A sanitary bin fl oor level. for the disposal of sanitary pads should be provided in each water closet cubicle in Section 308 the female toilet. Surrounding Materials 309.5 Medical sharps disposal. One 308.1 Walls. Walls within 610 millimeters medical sharps disposal unit should be (2 feet) of urinals and water closets should provided inside each male and female have a smooth, hard, nonabsorbent sur- toilet for the disposal of hypodermic nee- face to a height of 1219 millimeters (4 feet) dles and lancets. above the fl oor and, except for structural elements, the materials used in such walls 309.6 Soap dispensers. One soap dis- should be of a type that is not adversely af- penser should be provided for the fi rst fected by moisture. National building codes washbasin and should be increased in need to be considered. All toilet rooms number by a minimum of one for every should have a moisture-impervious clean- two hand washbasins. Soap dispens- able surface regardless of building code ers should be located in close proximity requirements. to basins. Dispensers should either have a transparent reservoir or a clear plastic Section 309 soap refi ll indicator window. Soap valves should be made of corrosion-free materi- Required Accessory Provisions als and suited to dispense hand soap. 309.1 General. Accessories provided on or 309.7 Tissue dispensers or toilet paper within walls, should be installed and sealed holder. An extra-large toilet paper roll to protect structural elements from mois- holder, multi-roll capacity or a toilet tissue ture. sheet dispenser of similar capacity should Public toilets should be provided with be installed in each water closet cubicle. the accessories listed in Sections 309.2 309.8 Water closet/toilet pan seats.