San Francisco AmeniPODS
SmithGroup
Recipient
Winner
The San Francisco AmeniPODS futuristic design blends sculpture with modern technology and universal access. With their mottled stainless-steel surface, they literally reflect the city’s diverse neighborhoods and their deep-rooted histories while providing important public infrastructure and creating sculptural additions to the urban landscape. The polished exterior cladding creates a connected family of amenities taking on different appearances depending on their surroundings. The re-envisioned restrooms improve user experience, performance and sustainability with multiple updates, including interior skylights, low-flow fixtures and rainwater collection for washing the exterior shell. The toilets self-clean after every use and the hand-washing system is stronger and more energy efficient. The team made the AmeniPODS as durable as possible from a technical standpoint to withstand decades of public use, while maintaining an elegance and simplicity of design.