The client didn’t want to hand this upgrade project a facilities management organisation, as they wished to ensure that the work was given full design consideration and not simply a utilitarian redecoration. Their brief was to address the specific challenges of considering access within an operational building, quality design, budget and eliminating bad smells that the existing building services were failing to deal with.

We created an uncomplicated design approach using a small palette of materials applied to different surfaces – a plane of grey tiles to the floor, American walnut veneer for new vertical partitions, with white walls and ceilings everywhere else. The toilets are small spaces, with only two cubicles each and it was important to make them feel as spacious as possible. Therefore we designed the cubicle doors to be full height without a frame at the top - so that when the doors are open the ceiling would be uninterrupted, giving the impression of a larger expanse of space and making the room appear bigger.

The modest combination of materials, coupled with completely concealed pipework and crisp unadorned detailing provides a clean, contemporary feel to the new toilets, one that is professional and modern – meeting the original request by the landlord and the building’s tenant.

Ian Blake designed The Courtyard WC refurbishment whilst at Sutton Griffin Architects