Now, this is a real throne. <\/p>\n
A new comfort station nestled in a Staten Island playground snagged a coved design and architecture award this week \u2014 and could serve as the mold for hundreds more throughout the Big Apple<\/a>. <\/p>\n The Lopez Playground Modular Public Restroom in Fox Hills was one of 24 projects honored at this year\u2019s American Institute of Architects New York Design Awards<\/a> because of its \u201cmodular construction method.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lopez Playground Modular Comfort Station was honored at this year\u2019s American Institute of Architects New York Design Awards. Michael McWeeney<\/p>\n \u201cThe jury was looking for projects that solve real-world challenges and represent the idea that architecture is for everyone!\u201d Brie Hensold, an urban planner with HASLA and a member of this year\u2019s voting jury, told The Post in a statement. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Lopez Playground Comfort Station is a small building \u2014 but it is a smart, cost-effective way to solve an everyday problem. We loved that its impact is much bigger than one park. 1100 Architect designed the station to be replicated across the city: the small building can be manufactured off site, which reduces construction time and keeps the Parks Department from having to close a park to build it.\u201d<\/p>\n The shipping container-like comfort station is the first of its kind for the Big Apple \u2014 and the modular design means that it was created at a Pennsylvania factory in three pieces that were transported and assembled at the park.<\/p>\n The $3.8 million project took just 4.5 years to complete and was unveiled in March 2024.<\/p>\n The bathrooms appeared clean during a visit by The Post this week. Michael McWeeney<\/p>\n The price was higher than a similarly sized bathroom in the Bronx\u2019s Soundview Park, which cost $2.1 million<\/a> but took twice as long to build. <\/p>\n During a visit by The Post on Wednesday, the modular Staten Island restroom appeared well-kept, save for some graffiti on its walls that appeared as though a worker tried and failed to clean.<\/p>\n For the most part, Staten Islanders love their little restroom.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cFor a public outside bathroom, this is definitely award-winning. We\u2019ve been to so many other parks in other boroughs and they are terrible compared to this one,\u201d said Sherifat Kasumu, a TSA Worker from Park Hill, pointing to the 4 p.m. closing time as the potential reason the restroom doesn\u2019t get trashed.<\/p>\n The modular bathroom is the first of its kind in the Big Apple \u2014 and the first bathroom for the playground. Michael McWeeney<\/p>\n Dyron Rodriguez, 30, agreed that the public toilets were \u201caward-winning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey look all new and fancy \u2026 There\u2019s nothing I would change in the bathroom to make it better honestly,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as everything\u2019s working, and the kids could use it, and it stays clean, that\u2019s good to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Kanson Louis\u2019s only complaint was that the three toilets for each gendered entrance were not enough, sometimes causing a long line and wait on crowded days.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been in the worst bathrooms. Especially on the inside, it\u2019s nice. Even at restaurants and things like that, there have been bad bathrooms,\u201d Fatima Varo, 32, added.<\/p>\n Other modular restrooms are being built in other boroughs, though the colors will be different. Michael McWeeney<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many bathrooms where you need a tissue just to open the door because of how dirty they are, but this one is a 10\/10.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The design accolade and high praise could mean that more could soon sprout across the Big Apple, though without the alternating blue, white and grey paint streaks that the designers picked specifically to reflect \u201cthe neighborhood and community\u201d that the original serves, AIA said.<\/p>\n