Yes, this is a photo I took of someone in a restroom. No, I am not a creeper. This is an image of the restroom in the understory of the Spheres at the Amazon headquarters in Seattle. The photograph was taken from the main public space that leads directly into a corridor that has sinks on one side and lockable toilet stalls on the other. There is no door or labyrinth of walls to keep people from seeing directly into this space. There are no women’s or men’s stalls, and everyone shares the sink area. The toilet is essentially placed in a small room, which provides more privacy and security than your standard toilet stall. These rooms also provide acoustical separation and superior ventilation to more open toilet rooms. This is a design innovation that has not yet been universally accepted but is becoming more commonplace, especially in the City of Seattle.
Although at first it requires some mental reframing, this scheme has several benefits that will eventually make it the new standard in public restroom design. First of all it saves space. Restrooms designed in this fashion take up less space and therefore cost less money. Secondly, you never experience long lines for the women’s restroom while there are stalls in the men’s room that are not being used — or vice versa. This provides more flexibility and requires fewer stalls to serve the same number of people. Lastly, this design also provides universal access, which eschews the controversy over gender identity and what restroom various people should use. This is an excellent example of how thoughtful designs can resolve complex social conflicts while saving money, improving efficiency and creating a better user experience.