The American Tobacco Trail was conceived as a linear park offering biking, running and walking through wooded areas on an unused rail line. Toilet facilities were needed for the park, but bringing utilities to the site would have been excessively expensive. Each toilet was designed to be completely off the grid with no electrical power, no sewer and no water. A concrete vault system was devised to provide 6-8 month storage with a sewer tanker utilized to pump the vaults when needed. Proper ventilation is important with this type of facility and since electricity was not available for fans, natural ventilation was explored. Pipes faced to have southern exposure were directly connected to the vaults which extend under the foundation walls with openings up through the waterless closets. When the sun rises, the pipes become warm, creating an upward flow of air that pulls bad smells from the toilet enclosures. Custom stainless steel waterless closets were designed, fabricated and installed. To provide ample lighting for the space, a band of translucent glass block windows were incorporated in the rear wall of the toilet along with a thin skylight that extends the full length of each toilet.
James West Photography
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