How do those running large sporting and cultural events determine how many toilets to provide? Is there an accepted ratio or does it vary, and if so by how much?
鈥� Most countries have national standards for toilet provision. In the UK, in sporting venues it is one WC for women, or one urinal for men, per 25 attendees per gender. In addition there should be one extra WC per 250 men.
This sounds sensible, but many venues may have a mainly female crowd one day and male the next.
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This is why when London鈥檚 ExCeL exhibition centre was designed, we swapped some urinals for WCs in the male toilets and put movable partitions between the male and female facilities. For a mostly female crowd, extra WCs can be incorporated into the female side, and vice versa.
Mike Moxley, Architect, London, UK
鈥� The UK Events Industry Forum outlines rules at thepurpleguide.co.uk, but there are many side issues. I mainly deal with rock and pop bands in stadiums and fields, and the difference between Oasis (with a hearty drinking crowd) and One Direction (mainly young girls and sober parents) is big.
Also, many older sports stadiums don鈥檛 have sufficient facilities for concert crowds, because the event is longer than sports matches and using the pitch for standing takes the capacity beyond its designed range. Quite often we have to create 鈥渆xternal villages鈥� to service the crowd.
And don鈥檛 forget the 鈥渟upport band effect鈥�, when everyone goes to the toilet as soon as the act preceding the headliner finishes. My advice is always go to the loo before the support band finishes.
鈥淎t concerts there is the 鈥榮upport band effect鈥� when everyone goes to the toilet at the same time鈥�
Roy Morley, Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, UK
鈥� Years ago, when planning how deep to drill drop holes below an outdoor toilet for a big party, my brother and father used mental arithmetic to estimate the volume of beer consumed and hence the volume of the pit required. They were accurate to within 15 centimetres of the top of the pit.
Mia Pithie, Daylesford, Victoria, Australia
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