WINNER! Modern Buildings Deserve Modern Period Care by UNICORN

Meet 2025 Next Work Environment Competition winner of the “Pick A Problem” category: UNICORN and their work Modern Buildings Deserve Modern Period Care submission.

Thyme Sullivan

Ellen Cynar

Denielle Finkelstein

Lindsay Domaas

The UNICORN team, Thyme Sullivan, Ellen Cynar, Denielle Finkelstein, & Lindsay Domaas, created a dispenser that complements modern workplace design, makes maintenance effortless, aligns with workforce expectations, and supports stronger occupancy.

See the Full Submission Below

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While workplace design has evolved to prioritize wellness and experience, one space has remained stubbornly behind: the bathroom. Despite design advancements, period care remains stuck in the 1980s, including broken coin-operated boxes, soggy baskets by the sink, bulky old products, or simply nothing at all.

The Dispenser: At the heart of our solution is a wall-mounted dispenser that blends design with function. With clean lines and neutral finishes it blends seamlessly into modern restrooms while elevating the perception of care. The UNICORN dispenser is mechanical- free, gravity-fed for reliability, and effortless to install and refill. No tools, no downtime, no excuses.

The Experience: Great design is about more than form, it’s about intention. The UNICORN dispenser is designed to place period products directly inside the bathroom stall, just like toilet paper, eliminating awkwardness and elevating privacy, hygiene, and dignity. It also creates a more seamless and supportive in-office experience, which is critical for today’s hybrid work schedules and shared-desks. When period products aren’t available, employees may leave the building, interrupt meetings, or go home early. UNICORN provides a moment of thoughtful care through an amenity that removes a mental burden and allows employees to be present and collaborative.

UNICORN offers period products that are in alignment with what employees in the modern workplace actually use. Employees and visitors would rather leave the building instead of using uncomfortable, low-quality products. UNICORN’s dispenser features organic cotton, ultra-thin pads with wings, and plant-based tampon applicators, bridging home and the workplace.

For Companies and Building Owners: UNICORN communicates a tangible building investment in wellness, employee/visitor satisfaction, and modern workplace standards. It’s not just good design, it’s good business. Buildings designed with health-focused amenities can command higher leases or faster renewal. Visitors are looking for positive, memorable experiences. Employers are working to attract, retain, and engage talent. Investing in high-quality wellness amenities like UNICORN drives repeat visitors and improves building perception, brand alignment, and property value.

Design Challenge & Outcome: The challenge was clear: reimagine a forgotten basic amenity and meet the design expectations of modern workplaces without adding complexity. The result is a human-centered solution that easily transforms bathroom stalls from afterthoughts into affirmations of care. UNICORN isn’t a luxury. It’s the new standard that elevates the everyday and meets the moment for the future of work.

The jury commented on how any companies/organizations can make this happen, even tomorrow, so what’s next for modern buildings and what else do they deserve?

The jury noted that any company/organization can make UNICORN happen tomorrow, which is the point. Period care doesn’t require waiting for a future workplace trend or a costly redesign. It belongs in the here and now. But the bigger opportunity is recognizing that period care access isn’t just a workplace perk; it’s a building design standard.

What’s next for modern buildings is simple: period care should be a baseline design requirement, not an ad hoc retrofit. Just as every restroom stall spec includes toilet paper, period care should be integrated into stall design, ensuring privacy, dignity, and reliability where it is needed most. No one designs restrooms with toilet paper in the common area, and the same design standard applies to period care; it belongs inside the stall as part of the same expectation of privacy and usability. As buildings adopt standards to address sustainability and wellness, integrating period care access directly into bathroom design specs and construction documents will become just as non-negotiable.

By embedding human-centered access into building design standards, UNICORN transforms restrooms from a utilitarian space into an extension of the building’s design and construction philosophy. Period care in the stall, like toilet paper, is the next step toward making modern restrooms truly complete. Modern buildings deserve modern period care. And making it happen tomorrow is only the beginning.