Stalled! |Inclusive Restroom

This class IARC 275 PEOPLE, SPACES, EXPERIENCES & POLITICS asks students to analysis of multiple theoretical, social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental contexts to the creation of built environments. As part of understanding in diversity and inclusive design context, this class encouraged students to understand and practice a public toilet concept of Stalled! into their design. The instructor delivered two times of lectures during the semester and called students to design based on the Stalled! concept voluntarily. As a result, two students expressed their intention to participate in the design work. As two of the twelve students expressed their intention to participate, the instructor thought that it was not possible to proceed as part of the project during the semester and decided to proceed as an additional workshop after the final review. In this workshop, which took place two weeks after the final review, the two students understood the Stalled! concept and designed a public toilet in the Jackson Terminal Food Hall. The design results were submitted in floor plans and elevations.

https://www.stalled.online/ Seb Choe schoe@joelsandersarchitect.com Lee Onbargi lonbargi@joelsandersarchitect.com

REFERENCE

FLOOR PLAN

What have you learned while trying to understand members of the LGBT community through inclusive design? As someone who is integrated strongly in that community, I have always been aware of the challenges that people face in there. The public bathroom project is something very admirable for our food court system to feature. The inclusiveness of design is something I feel is very important, because no matter our client’s ideals, we design the space with intent that anyone and everyone could use it.

What did you learn by applying the Stalled prototype, a case of inclusive design, to the bathroom? And/or in what type of space do you think you can apply this kind concept of inclusive design? After learning about the project, I thought it was very admirable work to start a project focused on making all feel welcome in a bathroom. Bathrooms have always been separate based upon the comfort of gender identity, but once people started to question their identities and realize that wasn’t how they were meant to be, it now starts a critical battle within the personal psyche. We as designers are meant to make the world a welcoming place for all, and originally considering that the bathrooms must always separate based upon identity excludes those who don’t know who they are yet. It takes away this imposed requirement to be allowed to use the space. The gender requirement forces some to conform to something they may not identify as. I do not believe there should be requirements on any sort of personal identity to be allowed use of a space. If I am designing a space, I intend for all to be allowed to use it, no matter their identity or status. I believe this mentality should be applied to every type of space.

FLOOR PLAN

What have you learned while trying to understand members of the LGBT community through inclusive design? Personally, while working on the Stalled! project I learned that more than often the members of the LGBTQ community have been overlooked. I think that as designers we have the job to allow the users of our designs and projects to feel comfortable and have no hesitations. I believe that as a community of designers in the modern times in which we are now, it is our duty to comprehend what being inclusive truly means and allow us to place ourselves in their shoes to really see the community that surrounds us with a different perspective, and if we do not understand it to try our absolute best to really learn about the subject. However, to not do it in a way in which we think we may relate or 100% understand, but rather to be able to say “I will never truly understand or completely relate, but I am here for you and I will back you up as well as do my best to understand”. I do think that as time moves forward we need to lead the communities to be more inclusive towards others which would then allow us to reach a point of unity among all as well as respect.

What did you learn by applying the Stalled prototype, a case of inclusive design, to the bathroom? And/or in what type of space do you think you can apply this kind concept of inclusive design? While working on the Stalled! project I learned that creating a design that qualifies as an inclusive design is challenging, because you have to take yourself away from the normal and fully comprehend who you are making the design for. Moreover, you have to take into account all of the different necessities as well as cultures people may need. I think this type of inclusive design can be applied to schools. While de space includes everyone, kids can also learn about an inclusive community and take part in it. This decision would allow younger generations to be influenced and allow the change from exclusivity to inclusivity we really need to see in communities to create that unity and respect.