The Toronto Public Space Committee has taken on the challenge of elevating the public washroom as a collective asset through the form of a global design competition. TO the Loo! Toronto Toilet Design Challenge emphasizes the essential nature of washroom access while demonstrating innovate ways to present it to the public realm.

Brief

Despite the high demand for public washrooms, Toronto only has about 300 in operation. This scarcity is further exacerbated by seasonal availability, leading over 100 facilities in the network to close over the winter. Additionally, the current stock of public washrooms is woefully inadequate to meet the diverse needs of the city’s residents. While once considered a basic urban amenity, the lack of accessible public washrooms has far-reaching equity and public health implications. Competition participants are tasked with designing public washrooms for the City of Toronto while highlighting cross-cutting themes present within their use and design. Themes to be incorporated include Spatial Justice, Accessibility, Gender and Culture, Harm Reduction, Sustainability and Art and Community.

Project Guidelines

Proposals must include:

• 1 multi-user hub for a small public park
• 1 single-user toilet for multiple potential locations across Toronto

All washroom designs must include:

• Toilets
• Accessible sinks
• Hand drying mechanisms
• Garbage bins
• Baby change tables
• Sharps disposal & naloxone kits
• Shelf for personal items

Washroom designs should be flexible enough to be sited from urban to suburban centres of a large and diverse city.

Eligibility and Submission Requirements

• This call for entries is open to all participants globally.
• The Toronto Public Space Committee encouraged multidisciplinary teams of people who represent different fields of
• practice.
• There will be a nominal fee to
• participate. If this fee presents a barrier to entry, please contact the organizing team.

To enter, participants must submit:

• 2 Poster panels in PDF format
  ‘Arch D’ size 610x914mm (24″x36″)
  Print quality: Resolution 300 dpi
• Title & Description (max 300 words)
• Renderings/images of washrooms
• Floor plans
• Site Plan of parkette

Prizes

• The winner of TO The Loo! Toronto Design Challenge will receive $1,500 CAD
• 2nd Prize: $500 CAD
• 3rd Prize: $500 CAD
• Winners will also be published in Toronto’s Spacing Magazine and showcased along with selected entries in a public exhibition in July 2025.