Innovations in Airport Restroom Design

By Alex Yarovaya, Design Intern

Point of View

Alex Yarovaya joined the Portland studio as a summer design intern, participating in the firm’s robust internship program that includes conducting an in-depth research project. Alex is pursuing a Master of Architecture Degree and a certificate in Public Interest Design at Portland State University, where she also received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. Read more from our 2025 internship cohort and all our past intern research projects here.

 

Public Restrooms in Airports

Airport restrooms have steadily evolved over the decades. Expanded square footages, high-tech products, touchless fixtures, and inclusive design principles that rethink traditional restrooms now appear in many airport restrooms. Despite these strides, the traveler restroom experience remains surprisingly frustrating. Travelers still face long lines, juggling their carry-ons in cramped stalls with nowhere to set their coffee and airplane snacks, and sinks that leave everything soaked.

Designers can learn lessons from these experiences to redefine airport restrooms. The most successful, innovative airport restrooms come from listening to and learning from travelers, airport maintenance staff, and other stakeholders to get a well-rounded, human-centered restroom experience right. The true innovation in these restrooms comes from the shift toward an easier, less stressful, and more dignified traveler experience. Designing intentional, thoughtful, and even customized solutions can account for:

  • Carry-ons and personal belongings
  • Stress and sensory sensitivities
  • Health and wellness
  • Age and ability
  • Caregivers and families
  • Hygienic and long-term upkeep

…all before even considering the standard, off-the-shelf stalls and tacked-on products.

Designing for the Unpredictable: Meeting People Where They Are

Airports serve a wide range of users, including travelers from around the world and all age groups with vastly different needs, expectations, and levels of familiarity with technology. For example, touchless light-up occupancy indicators aren’t universally understood yet and may not be intuitive or accessible for those with red-green color blindness. Instead, specifying occupancy indicators that are eye-height, manually operable, and use both color and words or symbols to translate the occupancy status to colorblind individuals or those with language barriers meets people where they are.

Example of universally understood occupancy indicators.

Restrooms & Well-being: A Public Health Perspective

Public restrooms, especially in high-stress environments like airports, have a psychological connection to our health, safety, and emotional well-being. At home, the bathroom is a place of privacy. But in a highly stimulating airport environment, that sense of predictability disappears. For many, that unpredictability is more debilitating than just being uncomfortable. At least 21 million Americans struggle with “shy bladder syndrome,” also known as Paruresis and Parcopresis. For them, avoiding using the restroom can be a real health risk, especially before a long flight with no access to relief. Add in the travelers who struggle with germaphobia, sensory sensitivities, administering medication, nursing mothers, and caregivers assisting someone with mobility or cognitive challenges, and the stakes get even higher. Loud noises, crowds, and overstimulation can make airport restrooms so overwhelming that people will avoid them entirely, even if it means enduring pain and discomfort.

Innovations in airport restroom designs are a matter of how thoughtfully the entire experience supports real traveler needs. The figure below illustrates a model of stakeholder engagement a designer may want to follow, where user feedback is actively collected in early design process and used to inform the restroom’s design decisions.

Airport Restroom Design

Stakeholder engagement strategy using sticky notes and thought-provoking questions.

Possibilities for All-User Restrooms

One promising restroom model is the rise of all-user restrooms that are either placed as stand-alone occupant restrooms or arranged in a typical multi-stall setting. They may incorporate design considerations such as:

  • full-height, private stalls that are larger than code requires
  • full-height, outward-swinging, gapless doors with lever handles
  • durable, anti-graffiti materials and dark tile grout or large interior wall panels
  • a mix of ambulatory, ADA, and regular stalls.

Typical all-user stalls also come with challenges: pinch-and-turn lever handles can break easily under the constant use of an airport setting, and they have higher upfront costs and complex mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) infrastructure because each stall essentially functions as a private room.

Restroom Revolution: Innovation Rooted in Empathy

When done right, innovation in airport restrooms works. One promising example is the renovation of Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP)’s restrooms, which sets the gold standard in airport restroom design. Since 2009, MSP has refined their restroom designs by:

  • Blending traditional all-gender restroom practices with common ¾-height stall partitions (eliminating extra MEP costs)
  • Providing extra-large plumbing chases for repairs that won’t shut down entire restrooms
  • Playing classical music to ease stress
  • Custom-crafting the entry, sink, and stall area elements directly from traveler feedback.

MSP’s restroom renovations reflect user-based, custom design solutions, and they work: they won the Cintas 2016 Best Restroom award, and travelers continue to appreciate the experience through glowing online reviews and local media coverage.

From Concept to Practice: Diagrams of Traveler-Centered Restroom Stall Innovations

The following diagrams highlight key innovations identified through in-depth research into successful airport restroom designs using a traveler-centered approach. It’s important to remember: innovation in airport restrooms takes time to get right and is achieved by iteration and a willingness to understand diverse traveler needs.

Airport Restroom Design

Diagrams of innovative airport restroom design best practices.

These diagrams show how to merge a traditional all-user stall with a standard 7′-0″ partition, extending stall depth by 11″ and featuring a full-height, outward-swinging door for enhanced privacy. It recommends adding a mirror, calming graphics, and deep recessed shelving. Thick walls support custom features like flush-mounted accessories and built-in carry-on cubbies. All stalls are proposed to be ambulatory, with grab bars for universal access.

A check list for innovative airport restroom design.

Internship Experience

This summer as an intern at Hennebery Eddy Architects was nothing short of transformative. Since the moment I stepped in the door, the environment was so clearly shaped by people who lead with warmth, kindness, curiosity, passion, and intelligence. I built strong connections with the people here and myself as a designer because I was trusted, challenged, and always inspired by the brilliantly-minded professionals here who design with heart, collaboration, intelligence, and purpose. I grew more than I ever imagined, both creatively and professionally, and I’m leaving with a fuller heart and a strengthened design toolkit for my final year of M.Arch and beyond.

Research Sources