Family Restroom design; all-round guide on how to design an accessible Family Restroom

Designing more inclusive and accessible rooms while staying true to the nature of the arcitecture can be challenging. In this article, you will find guidelines on how to design rooms that comply with this. Although each country – and sometimes even region – has its own accessibility guidelines, there is some general advice you must take into account before starting a project. This comes directly from the people who matters; the users.

Accessible Family Restroom – design for everyone

Family Restrooms must accommodate the different needs of various types of families. Not only in terms of size, where a certain space is required, however also in terms of an extended range of equipment in the accessible facilities.

Prior to designing a family restroom you need to bear the challenges that come with having special needs, such as:

• Increased obesity rates
• Injuries and health problems
• Parents with infants
• Users of mobility equipment
• Elderly and frail
• People with balance issues
• Anyone in need of assistance indoors

How to? Design advice from users of Family Restrooms

We have asked different users for advice on how to design the ideal accessible Family Restroom. The top five most important aspects are:

1. There must be an adult sized changing table and it should be height adjustable. A height adjustable changing table provides both the user and the caregiver with maximum safety and comfort.
   
   
2. There must be plenty of space. The room must accommodate the person – not only the wheelchair. People who need assistance indoors sometimes need two caregivers and a wheelchair in the bathroom with them and therefore the Family Restroom must accommodate this in terms of delivering enough space.
   
   
3. Doors can not have gaps at the bottom or top. Having this might make the user feel insecure and uncomfortable.
   
   
4. If possible, the Family Restroom should not be placed right next to other toilet stalls as it may cause unexpected and loud noises when the other toilets are being flushed.
   
   
5. Automatic flush and automatic air dryers are must not be installed in Family Restrooms. If the users cannot control the loud sounds themselves, this might be a source of insecurity. Instead, the restroom should be equipped with paper towels and – maybe – relaxing music.
   
   
6. Decorate the room with the use of colors and paintings on the walls to make the room look less sterile and instead be stimulating and comfortable.

Designing accessible family restrooms requires other considerations

With many years of experience, we also have some expert advice on how to design an accessible Family Restroom:

1. To handle the spectrum of needs for people using wheelchairs, install sinks and changing tables with space beneath it. By doing so, the wheelchair users are more likely able to participate in their own care.
   
   
2. Flexible solutions are key if you want to design a really accessible Family Restroom. Many different users use the restroom each day and that is exactly why flexibility is important. By choosing flexible solutions, more different needs are taken care of; more people will be able to participate in their own care and caregivers will get the best working conditions. Our PLUS wall tracking system is flexibility of the highest caliber. This system is always ideal to use – but it is especially ideal when designing a Family Restroom that are going to be used by different users and different caregivers.
   
   
3. If you want to design a Family Restroom which really makes room for the user, choose height adjustable equipment. Height adjustability does not only make life easier and more secure for the caregiver, it also provides comfort and independency to the user. We have a wide range of height adjustable products, for example height adjustable sinks, height adjustable shower and changing tables and height adjustable toilets.
   
   
4. Replace the regular changing table with an adult sized shower and changing table. Our shower and changing tables are designed to provide a stable platform suitable for changing both adults and children. Thus, a shower and changing table will accommodate more people.

People are different and needs are different – therefore, there is no universal solution. If you need advice on what the perfect solution is in the design situation you are in, do not hesitate to contact us.

Final remarks

Of course, you should always review the national or regional guidelines in depth before starting a project. However, following these guidelines is just the bare minimum. The guidelines are often not enough if you want to give good customer service or design more inclusive architecture that accommodate people with different needs. Combining the official guidelines with the advices presented to you in this guide, the Family Restroom you design will live up to the requirements and expectations of both authorities, users and caregivers.

Do you want to know more?

You are welcome to contact us if you have questions about how to design an accessible Family Restroom that will help your users.

ADA compliant consultancy

Keeping track of requirements for ADA compliant bathroom design can be challenging in a project with many other aspects. By involving Pressalit early in your process, we can help ensure ADA compliance when it comes to designing the optimal, accessible bathroom and taking all necessary precautions into consideration.

Please contact us for more information.