Brief, Design Quality and Context The brief was to create a new retail unit on 40% of the site and 7 no. unisex public toilets on the other 60%. The simple C-shaped building unites the whole site and makes efficient use of the limited space. We wanted to contrast the new building with the historic City Walls and Bootham Bar; both designated Scheduled Ancient Monuments. The angled copper strips to the roof/walls ensure rainwater falls away from the historic fabric. The central areas of glazing abstractly resemble falling water, a play on the function of the building as a public convenience! Internally, a glass floor exposes a 2000-year-old Roman Wall previously covered for several decades. The interior fit-out was completed by the new independent café tenant. The site lies within the York Historic Core Conservation Area and Strategic View 21 of the Minster. The key moves were to limit the height of the new building below the City Wall and to create an elegant roofscape as the building is viewed from above when people climb onto the City Wall. Materials The chocolate brown copper cladding, to the roof and walls, compliments the range of tones found in the limestone of the City Wall. The aim was to set a strong, continuous colour against the patchwork of stone blocks. Sandblasted glazing provides privacy within the toilet block and movement of shadows externally. At night, the glazed areas glow from within. The roof of the toilets is clear glass and frames a view of Bootham Bar above. Working collaboratively with creative agency United by Design, we developed bespoke iconography and signage. The existing iron gates were adapted and restored to match the building. The construction phase lasted 10 months from October 2014 to July 2015.