Toilets for all genders at the University of Cologne
At the end of 2017, the Rectorate of the University of Cologne decided to establish "All gender restrooms" in all central buildings. Individual areas or institutions of the university are invited to mark already shared facilities accordingly or to redesignate individual toilet rooms as "toilets for all genders" - as long as a sufficient number of toilets for women and men remains.
The following standards should be in place: Appropriate signage, hygiene containers, a privacy wall for users in the case of existing urinals, and floor-level privacy walls between cabins. If there is sufficient space, the installation of a changing table is recommended. It should also be avoided to declare already existing accessible toilets as toilets for all genders. This may create new barriers and also deprive people with disabilities of their own spaces and the possibility of using the facilities quickly.
The implementation of the decision is steadily progressing, so that restrooms for all genders can now be found at these locations:
| Building | Floor // Room | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 100 - Main building | Lower Floor // 3.0119, 2.057, 2.058 | next to the in-house print shop and next to the room of silence |
| 216b - Faculty of Human Sciences, Block B | Lower Floor // -1.201, -1.202 | opposite the library circulation |
| 906 - Faculty of Human Sciences, Module Building | 1st floor // 1.13, 1.14 | |
| 103 - Arts and Humanities Building | Ground Floor | opposite the information desk |
| 124 - Seminar Center Dept. 42 & Dept. 43 | Ground Floor | |
| 310 - Geosciences, middle component | Lower Floor | Lecture Hall Wing |
| 322a - Chemistry Department | Lower Floor // U 29 | Lecture Hall Wing |
| 119 BT1 - Unisport | Ground Floor | Sports hall |
| 344 - Division 7 | Ground Floor // 1st Floor | not publicly accessible |
| 154 - Gender Equality Office | Ground Floor // 0.02 | not publicly accessible |
| 144 - Institute for African Studies and Egyptology | Lower Floor // Ground Floor // 1st Floor | not publicly accessible |
| 69 - CECAD | Ground Floor | not publicly accessible |
| 321 BT6 - New building physics | Lower Floor // HS.1-21 |
In planning:
- On 1 September 2020, the Rectorate approved that, in the course of the upcoming renovation of Building 131, Weyertal 119 (future headquarters of the Computer Science Department), a toilet facility for all genders should be planned on the ground floor or basement next to the study and seminar rooms. For this purpose, a planned toilet facility (with cubicles) is to be rededicated for this purpose. The renovation is to be completed by 2024. This means that the central IT campus will also have a gender-neutral toilet facility.
- As part of the upcoming renovation of WiSo building 101 (Universitätsstraße 24), there will be a toilet facility for all genders. The renovation is scheduled to be completed by 2024. This means that the central WiSo campus will also have a WC facility for all genders.
- In the course of the planned renovation of the new building area "WiSo Flachbau / WiSo Learning Center" there will be a toilet facility for all genders. Construction of the measure is expected to begin in 2023.
- On 08.12.2020, the Rectorate endorsed that in the course of the new building Geology (Building 310), Zülpicher Str. 49, both parent-child offices and a WC for all genders be considered. The new building is to be completed in 2027.
- There will be gender-neutral restroom facilities in the new building of the ML4Q cluster of excellence. Construction is planned for the old physics parking lot. Further information on the construction project will be published here.
- As part of the renovation of the physics building (Building 321), restroom facilities for all genders are being considered in the planning of the construction project. Here, a facility will be provided in the publicly accessible lecture halls as well as in the area of the staff of the physics institutes.
You can also find the WCs for all genders on the university site plan (visible after activating the family campus site plan).