Designing Dignity

Civic equity through public bathroom architecture as “Infrastructures of Care”.

• Investigators

  • • Professor Nicole Kalms
    • Fatemeh Roohafza
    Monash Art, Design and Architecture
  • • Emily Potter
    Deakin University

• Funded by

  • Australian Research Council

• Undertaken within

  • XYX Lab – Gender + Place

DESIGNING DIGNITY aims to explore the future needs of Australian cities by positioning public bathroom amenities as anchor buildings, social assets and “Infrastructures of Care” capable of shaping thriving communities in the context of social, political and environmental instability.

The project will undertake new research to analyse the value of public bathroom architecture using place-based methods to reimagine these modestly scaled buildings as outward demonstrations of civic innovation and inclusion for future Australian communities [8,9].

This innovative approach will shift the current focus on public bathroom design from a pragmatic, minimalist view of technical and ergonomic specifications to an ambitious, multipurpose concept – where a responsive network is shaped by the complexities of rapid urban change, population growth, housing stress and social insecurity.