Per 2902.2 Separate facilities: Where plumbing fixtures are required, separate facilities shall be provided for each sex.

 

However, per Exception 5: Where the code requires only one toilet facility for each sex, two unisex facilities may be substituted for separate sex facilities.

What does this mean to architects? It’s as straightforward as it sounds. Two unisex restrooms can substitute for one of each men’s and women’s.

Additionally, we look to Accessibility in the NCBC. This is based on ANSI A117.1, a similar version of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Per 1109.2 Toilet and bathing facilities:

“Each toilet room and bathing room shall be accessible. Where a floor level is not required to be connected by an accessible route, the only toilet rooms or bathing rooms provided within the facility shall not be located on the inaccessible floor. Except as provided for in Sections 1109.2.2 and 1109.2.3, at least one of each type of fixture, element, control or dispenser in each accessible toilet room and bathing room shall be accessible.”

 

Exception 3. Where multiple single-user toilet rooms or bathing rooms are clustered at a single location, at least 50 percent but not less than one room for each use at each cluster shall be accessible.

Here, we find an exception requiring only 50% of clustered single-use restrooms to be ADA. When these sections are utilized together, it allows for a design to utilize a clustered group of unisex toilet rooms, only half of those being ADA accessible. See Figures 1 and 2.