Boys Boys Boys
COMMERCIAL PROJECT
The brief for the Quad toilets at Kent College was “Use your magic to make them look good!”. A toilet block may not be the most glamorous of assignments but a great project to tackle with such an open design brief!
Positioned at the centre of the school - nearest to the dining hall and between classes - the toilet blocks get a lot of use during the school day and were in serious need of refurbishment. The design needed to be functional - to withstand heavy use and stand the test of time (and students) as well as be easy to maintain and clean. I also wanted the spaces to be pleasant to be in - and not a space that pupils dreaded going in to - which was the case before.
For the boys we started out trying not to feature too heavily on any one sport - and went through options for cricket, rugby and football before settling on a bicycling theme. The previous toilet block was dank and unwelcoming and we wanted this space to be one the boys were happy to be in - no dark corner or opportunities for bullying. We provided more privacy between single urinals (rather than the previous metal trough!). I commissioned a mural artist - Marvellous Murals – to interpret my design. Blue, grey wood effect cubicles & black offer a cool vibe whilst the orange accent adds a warm vibrancy. A single orange stripe runs through the flooring, up the wall and up and over on to the ceiling of the space.
The mirrors feature bicycle tires which is a fun element that works with the overall theme. The splash back areas around sinks and the dryer allow the space to be kept clean and tidy. This design was great fun to pull together and is the perfect example of being aesthetically pleasing, with plenty of design features, and extremely functional!
Positioned at the centre of the school - nearest to the dining hall and between classes - the toilet blocks get a lot of use during the school day and were in serious need of refurbishment. The design needed to be functional - to withstand heavy use and stand the test of time (and students) as well as be easy to maintain and clean. I also wanted the spaces to be pleasant to be in - and not a space that pupils dreaded going in to - which was the case before.
For the boys we started out trying not to feature too heavily on any one sport - and went through options for cricket, rugby and football before settling on a bicycling theme. The previous toilet block was dank and unwelcoming and we wanted this space to be one the boys were happy to be in - no dark corner or opportunities for bullying. We provided more privacy between single urinals (rather than the previous metal trough!). I commissioned a mural artist - Marvellous Murals – to interpret my design. Blue, grey wood effect cubicles & black offer a cool vibe whilst the orange accent adds a warm vibrancy. A single orange stripe runs through the flooring, up the wall and up and over on to the ceiling of the space.
The mirrors feature bicycle tires which is a fun element that works with the overall theme. The splash back areas around sinks and the dryer allow the space to be kept clean and tidy. This design was great fun to pull together and is the perfect example of being aesthetically pleasing, with plenty of design features, and extremely functional!