Philadelphia International Airport Gets Colorful New Bathrooms

As part of its ongoing reinvention of the self, the Philadelphia International Airport is now transforming its bathrooms, which have needed the attention. Of course, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and nor were the Roman baths. The 12 PHL restrooms finished so far–in the US Airways terminal–are just the beginning of a massive interior design and architecture project helmed by transportation specialists Kelly/Maiello Architects, who have managed to make even Philly’s security checkpoints look sleek.

The directive from airport CEO Mark Gale was COLOR. So the firm came up with red and then worked with the airport to determine what the technical needs were in terms of space and materials. From the Inquirer:

The designers came up with those shiny red ceramic tiles and energy-efficient lights, as well as red and green glass tiles, sconces between the mirrors over the sinks, and an earth-tone accent wall. Automated hand dryers cut down on the use of paper towels.

“We were first and foremost looking to make them really bright, really splashy, really classy,” said architect Vincent Maiello.

So far, the design looks very nice, which is also a credit to designers at CDA&I. Getting the right janitorial attention is still a bit of a challenge, however, which is a problem in any restroom. Below, some airport bathrooms we admire.

• Phila. airport starting to upgrade its many bathrooms