Pollee

Pollee is a mobile female urinal developed in Denmark as a response to inadequate sanitation capacity at large public events. The product was created through a collaboration involving the Roskilde Festival and the Copenhagen-based design bureau UIWE, with designers Nuala Collins, Christian Pagh and Sara Nanna. Its development was prompted by the practical problems faced by women at festivals, where long queues for portable toilets and insufficient facilities could lead some attendees to urinate outdoors or in unsuitable locations. The concept emerged from the Roskilde Festival's 2011 sanitation initiative, which included a conference called “Backstage: Piss-Off,” informally described as an urination summit. The initiative sought more practical and humane solutions for public urination and aimed to address the needs of both men and women. UIWE's response was a dedicated female urinal designed for rapid use in high-volume event environments. Pollee uses four triangular urination bowls arranged in a cross-shaped configuration, allowing four people to use the unit simultaneously. Users adopt a semi-squat position, while handholds integrated into the surrounding structure provide support. The design is open-air but incorporates plastic privacy walls, balancing visibility, ventilation, capacity and speed of use. The unit was intended to function as an alternative to crowded portable toilets rather than as a conventional enclosed bathroom. Three final versions were introduced at the Roskilde Festival in 2011. According to the designers' account, the response from festivalgoers was strongly positive, although users also offered suggestions for refinement. The product's central value proposition was queue reduction: by enabling women to urinate quickly in a purpose-built facility, Pollee could increase sanitation capacity and reduce outdoor urination around festival grounds. Pollee occupies a niche at the intersection of public-event infrastructure, sanitary design and gender-responsive product innovation. It is not primarily a consumer packaged-goods brand; instead, it represents a specialized event-sanitation product associated with temporary or mobile deployment. Publicly available reference material does not establish its current manufacturing scale, ownership structure, commercial distribution, operating status or adoption beyond the documented Roskilde Festival introduction. Its website is listed as a related brand resource, but further current corporate information requires verification.

Pollee originated in the context of sanitation problems at the Roskilde Festival, one of Europe's major music festivals. By 2011, the festival's organizers were dealing with demand that exceeded the available toilet and urinal infrastructure. Long lines were particularly problematic for women, and some attendees resorted to urinating outdoors. The issue led the festival committee to convene a sanitation-focused conference titled “Backstage: Piss-Off,” also referred to as an urination summit. The initiative was intended to encourage practical solutions for public urination and to consider the needs of different users at large events. The Copenhagen design bureau UIWE participated in the initiative and developed the Pollee concept with designers Nuala Collins, Christian Pagh and Sara Nanna. Rather than adapting a conventional enclosed toilet, the team designed an open-air, touch-free urinal specifically for women. The product was conceived as a “queue-killer”: a facility that could allow several users to urinate quickly and thereby reduce pressure on portable toilet lines. Development involved three prototypes. The designs used triangular bowls and varying arrangements of plastic privacy walls. The final concept arranged four bowls in a crosswise formation so that four women could use the unit at the same time. The semi-squat posture was supported by handholds fixed to the surrounding walls. This configuration sought to combine speed and capacity with a degree of privacy, while the open-air structure helped avoid some of the enclosed, congested conditions associated with portable toilets. Three final Pollee versions were first installed or presented at the Roskilde Festival in 2011. The designers reported that many women used the facilities and that the response was broadly favorable. Feedback also produced suggestions for improvement, indicating that the festival functioned as both a launch environment and a field test. The product's initial reception supported the underlying proposition that purpose-built female sanitation facilities could be accepted in festival settings. Pollee's historical significance lies less in conventional brand expansion than in its treatment of sanitation as a design and event-management problem. It addressed gender differences in toilet demand and challenged the assumption that temporary public sanitation should be designed around a generic or male-oriented urinal model. The product also formed part of a broader discussion about public space, hygiene, dignity and the practical management of large gatherings. Public reference material does not provide a complete account of Pollee's later commercial development. It does not clearly establish a current owner, manufacturing partner, sales volume, geographic distribution, corporate registration or whether the product remains actively marketed. The available website and the product's association with UIWE provide a basis for identifying the design origin, but current operational details should be independently verified.

• 2011

  Roskilde Festival launches sanitation initiative

  [1]Polleeen.wikipedia.org

  The festival organized a conference focused on public urination and the shortage of suitable sanitation facilities, creating the setting for development of a dedicated female urinal.

• 2011

  Pollee prototypes developed

  [1]Polleeen.wikipedia.org

  UIWE and the named designers developed three prototypes featuring multiple triangular bowls, privacy structures and user-support handholds.

• 2011

  First three final versions presented at Roskilde Festival

  [1]Polleeen.wikipedia.org

  The completed versions were introduced at the festival, where the product was tested by attendees and received broadly positive user feedback.

A practical, high-capacity and gender-responsive sanitation solution for concerts, music festivals and other crowded public events. Pollee emphasizes rapid use, reduced toilet queues, touch-free operation and a purpose-built alternative to outdoor urination.

• Mobile female urinal · 2011

  Pollee

  Pollee is an open-air, touch-free urinal intended for women at crowded public events. Its four triangular bowls are arranged in a cross-shaped layout, allowing four users to urinate simultaneously. The unit is used in a semi-squat position and includes handholds to assist users. Plastic walls provide partial privacy while retaining an open-air structure suited to temporary festival deployment. The product was designed to reduce queues for portable toilets and discourage outdoor urination.

• 2011Backstage: Piss-Off

  Denmark

  Roskilde Festival organized a sanitation-focused conference and development initiative to find more practical solutions to public urination. UIWE's participation led to the creation and festival testing of Pollee.

  Outcome. The initiative produced three final Pollee versions for introduction at the 2011 festival and generated user feedback on the design.

  Source

• 2011

  Launch of a four-user female urinalProduct launch

  Background

  Roskilde Festival faced long toilet queues and cases of outdoor urination, creating demand for a faster facility designed around women's needs.

  Action taken

  UIWE and its design collaborators introduced three final Pollee versions, each based on a multi-user, semi-squat urinal configuration with privacy walls and handholds.

  Aftermath

  The designers reported strong user interest and favorable overall feedback at the festival, while also receiving suggestions for further improvement.

  Source

• 2011

  Pollee introduced at Roskilde Festival[1]Polleeen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Three final versions of the mobile female urinal were presented at the Danish Roskilde Festival after a development process initiated by the festival's sanitation campaign. The launch was reported as receiving an enthusiastic response from users.

1. 1Polleeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Pollee product websitepeebetter.dk