Public Toilet Design: From Hotels, Bars, Restaurants, Civic Buildings and Businesses Worldwide - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1770852166 ISBN 13: 9781770852167

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2013

Synopsis

The best, for architects, designers and contractors.

Public Toilet Design presents a selection of 130 very diverse public toilet designs -- 50 of them installed over the last two years -- in which toilets enjoy special status as a vehicle for various artistic and cultural expressions, corporate values and the needs of different social groups.

The book covers as:

• History and evolution of the public toilet
• Places of leisure: e.g., restaurants, bars, clubs, malls, gyms, theaters, museums, stadiums
• Commuting spaces: e.g., airports, train stations, boats, rest areas
• Public residences: e.g., hotels, spas, geriatric residences
• Working Environments: e.g., banks, offices, public administrations
• Materials and accessories used
• Ergonomics: adaptations for users, including the elderly, handicapped, diaper-changing stations.

Locations from around the world are featured, including restaurants, bars, malls, schools, museums, hotels, gyms, cinemas, boutiques, businesses, stadiums, airports, train stations, street lavatories, and park restrooms.

Among the 50 new designs -- and don't miss the transparent "Don't Miss a Sec" sidewalk toilet -- are the following:

• Central Library Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• SIDE Hotel, Hamburg, Germany
• Rain Restaurant, Toronto, Canada
• Roman Tabernae at the Trajan's Forum, Rome
• Rizhao Public Bathroom, Rizhao, China
• Mid-City Gym, New York City
• Public Toilets at the Port of Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Yoga Deva, Gilbert, Arizona
• Kros Urinal, London, UK
• Restrooms of the New Hotel, Athens, Greece.

More than 600 full-color photographs illustrate the designs in detail and each project is accompanied by descriptive text in five languages. Plans and detailed descriptions show the transformation of the public toilet during its planning, development and construction stages.

Designers, architects, students and the purely inquisitive will find Public Toilet Design fascinating and informative.

About this title

About the Author:

Francesc Zamora Mola studied interior architecture in Barcelona and later in San Francisco where he honed his design skills working with innovative architecture firms. Currently, Francesc Zamora Mola lives in Barcelona and applies his experience to writing and editing about design and architecture.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Introduction

Bathrooms have traditionally been considered as an afterthought in the design of public places and areas. Public toilets are generally thought of as cold, and frequently non-hygienic spaces sometimes associated with delinquency and vandalism. Nevertheless, bathrooms not only form part of our everyday life but also reflect the evolution of hygienic practice, as well as express a range of human cultural practices to such an extent that they form part of the history of civilization.

In recent years, bathrooms have been subject to greater attention from designers, who give full rein to their creativity to turn bathrooms into an experience for the senses while also being imbued with great artistic value. This book presents a selection of very diverse projects in which bathrooms enjoy a special status as a vehicle for various artistic and cultural expressions, corporate values and the requirements of different social groups. Particular attention has been paid to the latter, as the needs of a male user are not the same as those of a woman, child, senior citizen or handicapped person -- and the design of a bathroom must take these characteristics into account. Over the course of four chapters -- Leisure and Culture, Hospitality, Working Environments and Community Spaces -- we take in a survey of bathrooms belonging to different types of buildings, including bars, restaurants, theaters, gyms, offices, hospitals, kindergartens, public institutions, airports and train stations -- all around the world -- with special emphasis on the means used to bring together creativity and functionality.

It seems that designers are gradually rebelling against the long-standing conventions and status quo of bathroom design, and are creating spaces that are both functional and aesthetic.

Cristina del Valle Schuster

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1770852166
• ISBN 13: 9781770852167
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: Mola Francesc Zamora