STALLED!

Designer: JSA/MIXdesign (United States); Collaborators: Susan Stryker (gender and sexuality), Quemuel Arroyo (accessibility), Antonia Caba (public health), Terry Kogan (law), with Yale School of Architecture and Public Health students (United States); Location: United States; Years: 2015–present

Public restrooms have been at the center of societal shifts for decades—the latest debate concerns transgender individuals using facilities that align with their gender identity. In response, Stalled!, an ongoing design and research initiative, considers the cultural, political, and historical aspects of restroom designs. By placing restrooms within broader discussions about who public spaces are designed for, working with experts from the humanities, law, medicine, and public health, the Stalled team is reimagining the relationship between people and the built environment. Their work focuses on designing safe, inclusive gathering places for people of different ages, genders, races, cultures, religions, and abilities.

Image: Stalled! Installation, 2021–22; Designers: Joel Sanders, Martin Carrillo, Seb Choe, Ben Gillis, Marco Li, Matthew Liu, Lee Onbargi, JSA / MIXdesign (New York, New York, USA); Drawing by JSA / MIXdesign, 2018