The county of Los Angeles, USA has put tremendous amount of effort in promoting the use of bicycle as a sustainable mean of transportation and the well being of its residents. While focusing on the condition and accessibility of the bike path itself, lack of toilet facilities along the bikeways has been a frustration to many bikers. Many existing toilet facilities along bikeways are part of the nearby parks in areas with denser populations. At some remote locations, such as the upper San Gabriel River Trail, there are no toilet facilities at all in a long stretch.
The recently adopted 2012 County of Los Angeles bicycle master plan proposes approximately 831 miles of new bikeways in the county. New support facilities shall be incorporated as part of the plan. The project focuses on developing a new low maintenance toilet building prototype to serve bikers in remote areas. The design shall be well lit, vandal resistant and most importantly, self sustainable that requires no utility connection. The proposal suggests an “open” facility with waterless, vandal and weather resistant fixtures. The shape of the building is inspired by the rock formation found along the bike trail.
2012
Designer/Architect: Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA, LEED AP