Chesterton Road Public Conveniences

The new amenities on Chesterton Road are the final part of a four-year programme run by Cambridge City Council to provide improved public conveniences in the city centre.

The lavatories, arranged along one side of an oval-shaped volume, include one disabled person facility and a parent/baby changing room. The four subterranean recycling bins are raised by hydraulic lift for collection and replace existing free-standing facilities. In an effort to reduce environmental impact, rainwater harvesting will store water for flushing lavatories in a tank below ground.

Materials have been chosen that are easy to clean and maintain, including self-coloured Sto render, arranged in panels of muted colours around the wall facing on to Midsummer Common. The leaf-shaped roofs are clad in zinc. Cubicles have factory-finished steel doors and coin boxes. External hard landscaping incorporates resin-bound gravel and recycled glass. The office opens onto a timber-clad terrace, which leans out over the River Cam.