World Toilet Day: £12.7million investment in West End toilets
On World Toilet Day (Tuesday 19th November), Westminster City Council announces plans to refurbish eight central London public toilets, ensuring that visitors to the borough have access to new and improved facilities. The project brings together architecture, engineering and art to deliver a holistic vision for equitable space in the heart of the capital. This project is part of a wider strategy to rethink the provision of toilets across Westminster.
There is a clear demand for public toilets across London and many councils struggle with the costs surrounding maintenance and issues around antisocial behaviour. To address this issue, the council will create a series of inclusive facilities that demonstrate high-quality design and enshrine as much civic pride as the Victorians displayed when they first started looking at a proper sanitation system for the general public in the 19th century.
The council has invested more than £6.5 million this year to upgrade its public toilet facilities in the West End, with a further £6.2 million proposed for the next financial year. Toilets at Victoria Embankment, Parliament Street, Piccadilly Circus and Green Park will all receive an extensive refurbishment in 2024/2025 with Carnaby Street, Westminster Pier, Covent Garden and Leicester Square due to be upgraded the following year. In addition, the council has invested £285k this year to refresh its neighbourhood public toilets and is planning to upgrade its Automatic Public Toilets (APC's) at a cost of £1.8m.
Westminster City Council’s Infrastructure partner FM Conway were appointed to manage and coordinate the overall project, with the individual locations opening as part of a challenging phased delivery programme over 2025-2026. To support in the delivery of these transformational works, FM Conway have commissioned Hugh Broughton Architects, Healthmatic and the Contemporary Arts Society to assist in the complexities of working with aging and listed infrastructure.
A shared material palette will be used throughout to provide new modern facilities, which will be kept consistent across the sites and the utmost care and attention applied to the spaces created within them. While materials will be common across multiple sites, the artist James Lambert has been commissioned for his playful and energetic approach using patterned-motifs that respond to each local area. He will distil the unique London character of its location through the playful juxtaposition of location specific histories, design details and iconography, as well as shine light on the hidden, the overlooked or previously under-represented.
The first project to open will be the toilets on Victoria Embankment, and Lambert’s artwork incorporates ‘lines of energy’ echoing Bazelgette’s complex feat of engineering alongside an Embankment ‘guardian’ sphinx, designed by George John Vulliamy, the ‘superintending architect’ to the Metropolitan Board of Works. There are design references to the London Underground and the sights of Victoria Embankment Gardens as well as the Thames as seen in a stylised Tattershall Castle Steamer and abstracted anchors and palm trees echoing the historical importance of the river Thames in shaping global sea trade routes.
The second site to be delivered is one of Westminster’s busiest public conveniences, located beneath Parliament Street and linked via underpass to Westminster underground station, featuring artwork that draws on the high energy of the area and features the iconic Elizabeth Tower. The third project set to reopen to the public is located within the Grade II Listed underground station at Piccadilly Circus, with a creative response inspired by the area’s opulent and theatrical history.
“Public art has the power to uplift and inspire, turning everyday places into unique experiences. We’re delighted to have chosen James Lambert to not only beautify our public spaces but also to create a visual story that resonates with everyone who visits and lives in our city.
This is part of the council’s ongoing commitment to enhance our public realm and enrich the cultural experience of residents and visitors. And we hope the artwork, which will tell a story of Westminster’s diversity and vibrancy, will capture the public’s imagination.”
– Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg
“The project demonstrates Westminster’s commitment to their public realm. It will create high quality public conveniences in some of the most significant sites in central London. Whilst our designs deliver consistency, James Lambert’s engaging art will give each its own character, aligned to local context. The design will also reduce water use and ensure a low energy solution which matches Westminster’s commitment to the environment.”
– Hugh Broughton, Hugh Broughton Architects
Published: 19 November 2024