3.7 Building Support Spaces
Staff Locker Rooms and Custodial Spaces
Storage rooms should receive minimal finishes. As in
other support areas, these finishes should be coordinated
General Use Toilets
with adjacent spaces. Janitors' closets should be similarly
Toilets are part of the permanent building core and
finished, except those containing sinks, which should be
should be designed with good quality, long-lived finishes.
provided with a ceramic tile floor and base. Staff locker
They are an extension of the public spaces of the building.
rooms should be provided with resilient flooring and
The most appropriate finish for floors and walls in toilet
vinyl wallcovering (or equivalent), except in "wet" areas,
rooms is ceramic or porcelain tile. In light-use areas, less
which should be finished similar to general use toilets
costly moisture-resistant materials may be substituted. In
(ceramic tile floor and walls).
all cases, carefully chosen patterns and colors will enhance
the design image.
Building Engineer's Office and Security Control Center
Continuous vanities of stone, artificial stone, or solid
If theses spaces are included in the building program
surface material shall be designed for lavatories. Sinks
space requirements, they should be finished like an office.
shall be under mounted. A large, continuous mirror
Flooring in the building engineer's office should be vinyl
should be provided on at least one wall of each toilet
tile if it is located near the central plant or other
room. See section 3.2, Space Planning Requirements.
utilitarian support spaces.
Equipment Spaces and Maintenance Shops
Food Service Areas
Walls and ceilings of all equipment and maintenance
Cafeteria Kitchens and Serveries. These areas are
shops should be gypsum board, concrete masonry
operated under concession agreements. Finishes are
surfaces or other durable surfaces; exposed batt or other
governed by health regulations and the requirements of
forms of insulation should not be used at wall surfaces.
the concessionaire. Designers should coordinate their
Walls in these areas should be painted.
work with the GSA handbook Concession Management
Floors in mechanical rooms and maintenance shops
Desk Guide PMFC-93.
should be waterproofed. Floors in electrical and
communications rooms should be painted or sealed.
Kitchens Other Than Cafeteria Kitchens. This section
Communications equipment rooms may also have
describes smaller kitchens typically used by employees.
resilient flooring.
Flooring in these kitchens should be resilient. Walls
should have durable, washable finishes such as vinyl wall-
Rooms containing major electrical or environmental
covering or ceramic tile, depending on intensity of use.
equipment must be designed to provide clearance for
Ceilings should be acoustic material with consideration
service including replacement of components or the
given to the use of moisture resistant ceiling materials in
entire piece of equipment.
kitchens with higher humidity.
98 F A C I L I T I E S S T A N D A R D S
FOR THE
PUBLIC
BUILDINGS
SERVICE
3.7 Building Support Spaces
Revised March 2005 PBS-P100
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