Public Bathrooms: Design Things I Hate (And Why)
Toilet rooms, WC’s, bathrooms, the loo, restrooms, water closets, and washrooms- people all over the world use these public spaces multiple times a day.
A great toilet room is an experience that you tell your friends about when you get back to the restaurant table.
A good toilet room doesn’t give you the ‘ick’.
A poorly designed toilet room doesn’t consider the activities that are carried out in that room or the people that are the stars of the show.
Here is a list of toilet room qualities that I, as an architect, absolutely hate- and you probably do too. Architects, designers, and business owners should avoid implementing these!
Automatic flushers that don’t flush or are hard to flush
This is the issue that spurred this post. I posted on Instagram about a flush activator I was planning to specify and received a HUGE response
Most agreed, the Toto side-button flush activators, for example, are very tricky to hit with your foot. I love a good top-mount flusher like this one from Sloan so that I can tap it with a crane kick and be on my way
Gigantic vision gaps in the toilet partitions that dispel all notions of privacy
This is a huge design flaw! So many toilet partition manufacturers have no-gap designs or add-on panels to cover potential gaps- designers, specify these! There is nothing more awkward than making eye contact with a stranger through the gap
Translucent toilet stalls
Hell no! I don’t care how trendy these are- they are awkward and uncomfortable to use
Two way mirrors at the sinks
Again, HELL NO! I need actual privacy as I dislodge spinach from my teeth
Horror movie, surgical suite lighting (lighting that is blue and cold)
Throw away those 5000K and above light bulbs. Warm light is so much better!
Empty dispensers- toilet paper, paper towel, seat covers
A single residential roll won’t sustain a commercial bathroom. Let’s be realistic- specify dispensers that can hold multiple or XL rolls!
Soap dispensers without a drip tray
RIP to the soft surface you placed on the counter in the soap puddle
Automatic paper towel dispensers that dispense 1” of paper towel
We need more than that- even if we use the Joe Smith TED Talk method for drying our hands with paper towels. I think 6” min is respectable, maybe even a bit more if the building manager wants to get wild
Faucets that don’t stay on long enough
The CDC recommends at least 20 seconds! This is a SETTING that the owner can change. I understand the need to balance the time for water conservation, so maybe we do 4 sets of 5 seconds? Anything under 5 seconds is ~ germ city ~
No unisex toilet room
Let’s be real, unisex restrooms are necessary facilities for many people, but also very helpful luxuries for others seeking privacy for #2 (if you know what I mean). Let’s add more of these to our public spaces
Gas station bathrooms with wood furniture, fake flowers, and doilies
This is an incredibly rare instance, but has anyone else gone to a gas station and the owner has decorated the bathroom with furniture you’d find at your Great Aunt’s house? It all just seems very porous and germy
Stalls that aren’t wide enough for the in-swinging door, the paper towel dispenser, and your body
As an architect, I know there are a lot of codes that result in this condition, but I hate squeezing past the door and accessories into the stall- it’s even worse at the airport with a carry on suitcase which- gasp! - might touch the toilet as you bring it in the stall. Yuck!