Reply With Quote^ These look similar to the prototypes that were set up in the plaza in Herald Square a couple of years ago.
When NYC finally gets some public toilets installed it will be a day to celebrate.
A little off topic, but I found these while digging through my vacation picture album. This is what public restrooms/newsstands look like in San Francisco.
Pictures taken 8/6/05:
^ These look similar to the prototypes that were set up in the plaza in Herald Square a couple of years ago.
When NYC finally gets some public toilets installed it will be a day to celebrate.
For Pay Toilet Company, Progress Is Sometimes Slow
By WINNIE HU and FERNANDA SANTOS
September 23, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/ny...23toilets.html
The Spanish advertising company that is paying more than $1 billion to put toilets, bus shelters and newsstands on New York City streets has never before installed a street toilet in this country, though it has built more than a hundred of them in Spain and Latin America in the past decade.
Cemusa, chosen by New York
to design its public toilets,
has designed them for a
number of cities, including
Seville, Spain, above.
The company, Cemusa Inc., which was picked this week to provide New York with new so-called street furniture, has already won contracts to place toilets in cities like Seville and Rio de Janeiro. But just as New Yorkers have been waiting decades for promised public toilets, progress to install these amenities in some cities has been anything but easy.
For instance, more than three years into its contract in Rio de Janeiro, Cemusa has finished slightly more than half of the planned 20 toilets, owing in part to municipal delays with sewer and water hookups, officials in Brazil said. Still, residents there have been receptive to the toilets, which are in a variety of architectural styles designed to meld with the neighborhoods. One is a sleek chrome box. Another is built from white bricks and has a tile floor. A third is a silver capsule that resembles a giant soda can.
"It looks like something out of a science fiction movie," said Valmir Áreas de Moraes, a community organizer who works near a Cemusa bathroom in Santa Cruz, a neighborhood in western Rio. A mere 50 cents Brazilian buys a relative eternity - 20 minutes - of solitude from urban life.
In Vitoria, the capital city of the Basque region in northern Spain, Cemusa has been installing 10 toilets and renovating bus shelters and other street amenities since April. Only one toilet was working and open to the public as of last weekend, according to local Spanish news reports. Cemusa officials say three more are ready and awaiting inspection.
The Vitoria government has threatened to fine Cemusa about 15,000 euros, or $18,200 in United States currency, for the delays in the installation of the bus shelters, street signs and "other elements of public use and interest," according to a government report released in June. Public toilets are not cited in the report.
In the past three years, Cemusa has begun to expand into the United States by pouring its ample resources into building bus stop shelters in San Antonio, and in the Boston and Miami metropolitan areas. The company is the North American subsidiary of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, an industrial conglomerate, which has a reported $8 billion in annual revenues.
In Miami, bus riders praise the Art Deco-style bus shelters that are now on their streets, complete with flamingos, waves and palm trees etched into the glass, and solar-powered lights at night. "It's one of the biggest success stories for our customers," said Roosevelt Bradley, director of Miami-Dade Transit.
Cemusa has also received high marks in Boston and San Antonio for its willingness to accommodate local concerns and last-minute changes, dispatching executives from Spain to San Antonio to check on progress. "This is our first experience with Cemusa, and it has worked out very well," said Priscilla Ingle, a spokeswoman for VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio.
In New York City, Cemusa is in negotiations to build 20 public toilets, 3,300 bus shelters and 330 newsstands at no cost to the city. In return for paying the city at least $1 billion in fees over 20 years, the company would receive permission to sell advertising on the structures.
Cemusa won the highly coveted street project, one of the largest in the city's history, by outbidding four other companies, including industry leaders like JCDecaux and Viacom, both with more experience building street toilets. The contract was highly contested as lawyers and lobbyists promoted their clients. Cemusa spent $96,000 to hire the company of an influential lobbyist and Democratic fund-raiser, Suri Kasirer, to press its case at City Hall.
The details of how Cemusa was chosen, as well as its designs for the toilets, bus shelters and newsstands, remain a mystery. City and Cemusa officials, citing the continuing contract talks, have refused to provide more information. Some lobbyists and city officials who have followed the bid say privately that one of the losing companies may still sue to block the project.
Yesterday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said he was pleased that the city had resolved its longstanding effort to bring toilets and other amenities to its streets. "It will mean for the city a billion dollars in revenues over 20 years, which we certainly can use, and it will make the streetscape look better and cleaner, and provide better access for people walking back and forth," he said. "And toilets are one of those things that people need, and lots of other cities have them."
Cemusa officials sought yesterday to emphasize their experience building toilets and bus shelters in other countries and provided a list of projects in seven cities in Spain and Brazil. A company fact sheet said that more than 100,000 pieces of "street furniture," ranging from bike racks and temperature displays to toilets, were in use in 110 cities.
Cemusa has also been involved in a joint venture to install bus shelters and mailboxes in the Mexico City area since 1996. Recently the joint venture, known as Eumex, has become enmeshed in contract disputes with the government over who is responsible for paying for the electricity that lights the bus shelters, among other things. Company employees have been arrested as they tried to work on shelters, said Carlos Madrazo, a lawyer for Eumex, which has said it is a victim of harassment.
In Brazil, Cemusa has run into unexpected delays while installing toilets, bus shelters, newsstands, electronic clocks and ad displays throughout the western and northern neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. Many of the initial locations picked by the city's secretary of public works did not have adequate sewerage and water connections, Lúcio Azevedo Santos, a spokesman for Rio de Janeiro's finance secretary, Francisco Almeida e Silva, said yesterday in a telephone interview. Mr. Santos said the city had a "great working relationship so far" with Cemusa.
The Cemusa brand of toilets in Rio has already won some converts.
Mr. Moraes, who works in a building near the Cemusa bathroom in Santa Cruz, said that when people first noticed the silver capsule bearing colorful advertising on its sides, they had no idea it was a bathroom.
"People thought it was some type of artwork, like a sculpture," said Mr. Moraes, who found the restroom clean. "The bathroom has a cool design. It doesn't look like a bathroom at all."
Renwick McLean, in Barcelona, contributed reporting for this article.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
Some info on CEMUSA and its designs: http://www.cemusa.com/web/en/index.aspx
From their site:
We are international leaders in the field of Out of Home Advertising
A world class company specialized in the design, installation, maintenance and generation of advertising revenues from high quality outdoor and indoor furniture that is adapted to match and enhance the urban landscape
Municipalities, transit agencies, malls and other private and public entities benefit from Cemusa´s experience while contributes to enhance the aesthetic and increase the functionality of the public services while supporting the economic development of the local urban communities
Giugiaro Public Toilet
King & Miranda Public Toilet
Clásico Public Toilet
Couldn't help noting the irony in this statement in light of subsequent stories in this thread.Iris Weinshall, the city's transportation commissioner, said Cemusa had emerged as the winner after an exhaustive selection process by several agencies that weighed factors like a company's track record, financial assets and revenue for the city.
"Cemusa has extensive experience throughout the world," she said. "The toilets are not new to them. They've done them. A toilet is a toilet."
Track record? Due diligence? A toilet is a toilet?
Maybe there's more here than meets the eye.
The best public toilet I've seen is Courtney Love.
When It's Any Port in a Storm, It's Good to Have More
By SHADI RAHIMI
September 23, 2005
He doesn't want to, but sometimes Bruce Morrow has no choice. There are no public restrooms nearby, and one of his twin sons desperately needs one. So Mr. Morrow, 42, who lives in downtown Manhattan, escorts the 6-year-old to a gap between two parked cars.
Rosetta Chance-Jackson, 31, recalled her discomfort during a subway ride from Midtown to her home in East Harlem, knowing that there are no stops along the way where she could get off and use a public restroom. And last week, Dea Tatishvili, 50, had to make a mad dash to a Midtown department store a few blocks from the corner where she was waiting for a friend.
Nearly all New Yorkers, even those who know where the nearest usable restroom is in most parts of Manhattan, can recall a panicked moment when they needed one but there were none nearby. So many interviewed yesterday were pleased to learn that after a decade of failed attempts, New York City officials had finally selected a company to install 20 freestanding pay toilets on city streets by 2007. There are only two in Manhattan now.
But most said that while the move was a good first step, 20 more public toilets was not nearly enough. "That many could be used just downtown," Mr. Morrow said. "It's a start, but you're still in trouble if you're on the street and your child really, really has to go, and there's no Starbucks around."
When Mr. Morrow and his 15-month-old son, Tenzin Gund-Morrow, have their weekly outing at the small playground in Union Square Park, they are near plenty of available restrooms, including those inside Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and McDonald's.
But parents who take their children to Madison Square Park have to look harder for a restaurant that lets people walk in to use its restroom, said one mother, Adele Rice, 34, who lives in the Gramercy Park neighborhood. "You have to pack up all your stuff and go look for a bathroom," she said. "It's a pain."
Her husband, Louis Debattista, 38, said that when he first arrived in New York City from Malta two decades ago, he was shocked to discover that he had to hunt for a public toilet. His native Mediterranean island, he said, has many public restrooms on city streets, with attendants who provide amenities like soap and paper towels.
"Here, I was so stressed looking for somewhere to go," Mr. Debattista said. "When it first happened, I was downtown and I had to go into a cafe and buy lunch to use their bathroom. I had already eaten lunch."
But even though he and his wife agreed that installing more public toilets on city streets was a good idea, Mr. Debattista said he doubted that many New Yorkers would use them for fear they would be dirty or used by the homeless "to shower or do other things."
Concerns about cleanliness have kept Ms. Tatishvili from using the public toilet at 35th Street and Avenue of the Americas when she takes a break from shopping in Herald Square, where she was smoking a cigarette yesterday. The kiosk is one of two coin-operated public toilets on Manhattan streets, operated by a nonprofit organization, the 34th Street Partnership.
Several people who dropped two quarters into the kiosk's slot yesterday morning had few complaints. One of them, Penina Weber, 16, of Suffern, N.Y., said the public toilet was "convenient and clean."
"But it was kind of embarrassing to stand there while the door slides across," she added. "Everyone can see you."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/nyregion/23reax.html
You're right on target. These are really just excuses for advertising -- that is the first and foremost priority -- as the very first line on the Cemusa website so cleverly points out (note they don't write "out-house advertising":Originally Posted by ablarc
"We are international leaders in the field of Out of Home Advertising"
^ I meant Cemusa has a proven track record of incompetence, failure and conflict. Why not contract with the company in Paris that has successfully carpeted that city with these little gems?
NYCDOT
March 22, 2006
City Previews Models of Proposed Street Furniture Designs
Bus Shelter, Newsstand and Public Toilet are Displayed
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) today previewed models of the proposed automatic toilets, newsstands and bus shelters that will be installed citywide under the coordinated street-furniture franchise in New York City. The models shown are not the final furniture designs; they were installed so that New York City officials, and other parties involved in the process, can review the proposed design and materials in scale and perspective and suggest design changes as needed. The City of New York is currently in negotiations with Cemusa, the street furniture company, for a franchise agreement to install, maintain and operate street furniture for 20 years. During the life of the contract Cemusa will pay the City over one billion dollars in exchange for the right to sell advertising space on the structures.
“We’re nearing the finish line and we hope to have an agreement with Cemusa in the coming weeks,” said DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall. “We feel confident that New Yorkers will be excited about the final designs.”
“Cemusa is committed to bringing New Yorkers the world-class street furniture they deserve,” said Cemusa, Inc, CEO Toulla Constantinou. “I look forward to continuing that tradition in New York, and thank the Mayor and the DOT for giving us this opportunity to work together toward the betterment of New York,” she said.
Cemusa currently delivers a range of services to Miami, San Antonio and Boston as well as 110 cities throughout Europe and North and South America. At no charge to the City, Cemusa will provide approximately 3,300 new bus stop shelters, 330 new newsstands and up to 20 automatic public toilets. Cemusa expects to create over 100 new jobs in New York City and has committed to using local vendors for the fabrication and installation of the project. The franchise structures are designed by the world renowned firm Grimshaw Architects, the same firm that is designing the Fulton Street Transit Center in Lower Manhattan. The new street furniture’s distinctive design will enhance and enliven the streetscape while standing up to the rigors of sidewalk life in New York City.
The photographs below are models and not the final designs.
March 23, 2006
A 25¢ Pedestrian Rest Stop, but Wait, It's a Model
By WINNIE HU
The city showed off a model of the street toilets that it hopes to put on sidewalks in about 20 locations by next year. Each toilet includes sinks and mirrors and the door slides open automatically after 15 minutes.
The door to the stainless-steel box slides open, and one of New York City's more closely guarded secrets is revealed — a self-cleaning pay toilet that will soon be coming to city streets.
After months of secrecy, city officials yesterday unveiled a prototype for the new street toilet. The prototype, which is just a model and, therefore does not flush, has been installed on a sidewalk at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, along with a matching newsstand and two bus shelters.
The shiny, silver toilet is enclosed within a sleek, modern rectangle that is nearly as spacious as some studio apartments and topped with frosted pale green glass. It comes with a sink, mirror and disposable seat covers. Push a blue button for an extra flush, and a red button to report an emergency.
A quarter will secure entree to the inner sanctum for 15 minutes (with a 3-minute warning). Linger past that, and the door slides open again for the next occupant even if the current one is not quite done.
"I saw it and I really wanted to use it," said Fredric Bell, executive director of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, who described the toilet as both elegant and functional. "Whether you're sitting on a toilet or buying a newspaper, design matters."
Beginning next year, as many as 20 toilets will be placed in locations yet to be decided by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. The first will be near parks, which have water and sewer lines, city officials said, and will close at night to keep vagrants from taking up residence.
The toilets are being installed as part of an agreement with Cemusa Inc., the North American subsidiary of the Spanish industrial conglomerate FCC Group. Cemusa Inc. will also build 330 newsstands and 3,500 bus shelters.
It will build and maintain all the amenities without charge, and pay a fee to the city, in exchange for the rights to sell advertising on them. Last fall, the company outbid four others for the contract, which could be one of the most lucrative ever awarded, as it would generate at least $1 billion for the city over 20 years.
Toulla Constantinou, the chief executive of Cemusa Inc., said she would not say how much the toilets would cost to build until the contract is completed. She added that the toilets, newsstands and bus shelters would be built with durable materials to resist weather and graffiti. The design, by Nicholas Grimshaw and Associates, is intended to present a unified look without obstructing the view of nearby buildings.
Iris Weinshall, the transportation commissioner, said the design still required the approval of the city's Art Commission. "As many people know, the city attempted to do this before and we're very confident that we're going to get this done this time," she said.
Asked whether New Yorkers would mind paying to use a toilet, Ms. Weinshall responded: "Depends how much you need to go to the bathroom."
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
May 12, 2006
$1.4 Billion Deal for Bus-Stop Toilets Nears Approval
By SEWELL CHAN
Bus-stop shelters, some like the model above, are to be built by Cemusa, a Spanish company, if its bid is approved by the city on Monday.
A nearly $1.4 billion deal with a Spanish company to install 3,500 bus-stop shelters, 330 newsstands and 20 public toilets on city streets moved forward yesterday, despite objections from a competitor that was also seeking what is one of the biggest contracts in the city's history.
Although the Bloomberg administration announced the contract in September, the city's Franchise and Concession Review Committee must give final approval because the equipment, called street furniture, involves long-term use of sidewalks and other public space. Yesterday, the committee scheduled a vote for Monday and was expected to approve the deal.
The winning bidder, Cemusa, the outdoor advertising arm of the Spanish company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, won over two competitors: Van Wagner, which has managed the city's bus-stop shelters since the mid-1980's, and a joint venture of NBC Universal and JCDecaux, a major outdoor-advertising company based in France.
In exchange for building the structures on city streets, Cemusa will collect advertising revenue from them for 20 years.
The only drama at yesterday's hearing came in the form of a protest by JCDecaux, which has argued that the contract was not awarded fairly and that the committee used an improper method in determining the value of "in-kind" advertising — free advertising the city will receive to promote itself. The city has denied any impropriety.
JCDecaux's chairman and co-chief executive, Jean-François Decaux, flew from London to attend the hearing, and the company hired a former City Council member, Edward C. Wallace of the law firm Greenberg Traurig, to present its argument. Mr. Wallace told the committee that the joint venture "truly provided the city with a better financial and technical offer" than Cemusa.
"It wouldn't hurt for the city to re-evaluate the bids," Mr. Decaux said after the hearing. "If they don't want to do that, then they will have left some money on the table."
The winning company needs at least five of the committee's six votes to win approval.
In a complex arrangement, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg controls four votes and City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. controls a fifth. The remaining vote is shared by the five borough presidents. One borough president, Scott M. Stringer of Manhattan, raised questions about how the selection committee considered in-kind advertising but stopped short of saying he opposed the award.
The vote on Monday will complete a lengthy process. The City Council approved the competition in 2002; the city solicited proposals in 2004 and took final offers last year.
Under the deal, Cemusa is to provide the city with a minimum of $999 million in cash over 20 years along with $398 million worth of free advertising. The deal also provides a share of revenue for the city if ad sales are unusually strong.
Iris Weinshall, commissioner of the Department of Transportation, said the city would also benefit from $100 million of capital investments, $200 million worth of maintenance of the street furniture and control of 22.5 percent of the advertising space, with Cemusa controlling the rest.
"Not only will these structures provide necessary public services to all New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs, the distinctive street furniture will have a remarkable effect on the city's streetscape," Ms. Weinshall said.
Toulla Constantinou, chief executive of Cemusa North America, told the committee that the newsstands, toilets and bus-stop shelters would "meet a high standard of iconic uniformity and combine form and function gracefully."
Several business groups, including the Association for a Better New York and the Partnership for New York City, testified in support of the Cemusa contract, as did NYC & Company, the city's convention and tourism bureau.
Bomi Kim, of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, commended Cemusa for reaching out to local businesses, which will manufacture much of the equipment.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
4 years to this point ... and no indication when any of this might actually be available for use.
ridunkulous ...
anything new about this?
Grimshaw Designing New York Street Furniture
May 24, 2006
The New York City Department of Transportation recently signed a contract ordering thousands of bus shelters, newsstands, and public toilets designed by Grimshaw Industrial Design, a division of London-based Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners, produced for the Spanish company, Cemusa. The deal has been approved by the city, and is expected to get final approval from New York’s comptroller in a matter of weeks. The deal is worth about $1 billion. The line includes 3,300 bus shelters, 330 newsstands, and 20 automatic toilets, all made of stainless steel, anodized aluminum, and tempered glass.
“Working in New York, you are able to achieve a greater economy of scale with a large production run,” says Duncan Jackson, head of industrial design for Grimshaw. “We’re able to work with better materials and have stronger quality controls.”
The new structures balance robustness with lightness, such as in the bus shelter, which has a cantilevered design with just two feet on the ground, thanks to a large plate anchored underneath the pavement. The firm eliminated painted finishes and plastics, which are less durable over the long term. According to Jackson, the goal is to have a “neutral impact regardless of the site,” a welcome relief for New York’s cluttered streetscapes.
Alan G. Brake
http://archrecord.construction.com/n...24grimshaw.asp
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