National Arts Centre redesign to include more washrooms for all genders

Ask any woman who has spent time at the National Arts Centre waitinginline,as the lights flash and a voice intonesthat intermission is ending, if the buildingneeds more washrooms.

The answer would be a resounding yes. Butthe NAC, notoriously well-known for its long toiletqueues, sees its ongoing renovations as an opportunity to both fixthat problem and also add new gender-neutral facilities.

"What we are doing istripling the number of men's washrooms and quadrupling the number of women's washrooms," NAC project directorDavid McQuaig told CBC News.

"That means over 80 stalls.86 in number."

• National Arts Centre officially breaks ground for major renovations
• National Arts Centre in Ottawa gets $110M for makeover
• New 'all-gender' washrooms set to open at University of Ottawa

Most of the new washrooms will be right in front of Southam Hall, the NAC's largest performance venue, but there will also be more washrooms at each level so that people seated on thebalcony and the mezzanine don't have to come down to use the facilities, said McQuaig.

Two separate "universal washrooms"will be located on the main floor, he said.

'A more effective use of space'

The redesign ofthe NAC'sFourthStage, where more informal concerts are held, presented the opportunity for thenew gender-neutral facilitya single washroom with seven stalls, including one that's accessible for people with disabilities, with a common area that includes sinks and mirrors.

"It's a more effective use of space. If we were to have a dedicated men's and women's washrooms, there'smore walls, there's more plumbing. It's harder to fit in the space, so [this is a] less expensive and more economical use of space." said McQuaig.

McQuaigsaid he thinks FourthStage patrons will take the changes in stride, as public opinionto sharing washroom space evolves.

"It's a bit different from Southam Hall and some of our other patrons," he said.