Locker Room Design at 30,000 Feet

By Jon Feld

I recently completed an article on locker room design in the July issue, “Locker Room Largesse,” in which we focused on specific areas where design could assist in creating the feel of a larger space. As is typically the case, the architects and designers I spoke with were very forthcoming, offering up a plethora of guiding principles covering everything from lighting and color to furnishings and overall flow. As a result, I had enough material for several articles on the subject.

One question I asked every contributor was: If you had to offer one key piece of advice regarding creating spaciousness in a locker room environment, what would it be? We wound up with a good “30,000-foot view” of what they viewed as core principles in using design to create space. I was able to incorporate some of their responses, but not all. So, we’d like to use this space to pass along those learnings. Here’s what the experts had to say:

An Ohlson Lavoie Design“The number-one contributor to creating spaciousness is eliminating as many full-height vertical walls as possible. A certain amount can’t be avoided, just due to the need to control moisture, smells, privacy, and the like. But by concentrating on creating a space with continuous planes of flooring and ceilings, it will have a dramatic effect on the spaciousness.”

 —Bob McDonald, senior principal at Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative, Denver 

“Anticipate human nature, and the willingness or unwillingness of friends or strangers to make use of adjoining facilities, and design accordingly. While a design may technically "fit" all the program components in the allocated space, actual use patterns may demonstrate inefficiencies. Properly anticipating use is just as important as meeting outlined programmatic goals.”

—Michael Prifti, FAIA, principal at BLT Architects, in Philadelphia

“Keep ceilings high--at least nine or more feet if possible. Use up-lighting, leave enough room for comfortable flow, and make sure to allow as much privacy for people as possible.”

—Bruce Carter, president of Optimal Design, Weston, Florida

BLT's use of light, color, and texture“The most important piece of advice would be proper flow in planning where each functional part of a locker room (i.e., the locker bays, the toilet area, the showers, the steam rooms, sinks, and grooming areas) has adequate and separate space, but flow into one another because of a simple layout and clearly defined circulation to each one of the areas. Good flow coupled with a uniform, indirect lighting pattern and proper color selection will provide a spacious feel in almost any sized locker room.”

—J. Thomas Seymour, AIA, of PSA-Dewberry, Inc., Peoria, Illinois