The Bathroom

by Alexander Kira

New and revised edition of the 1966 classic study on bathroom design. "...the bathroom is perhaps the most important private place in the house, and it's also unquestionably the most badly designed for each and every one of those functions....

Until publication of this study, no one had taken a serious look at the bathroom's function--sinks were invariably too small and too low, medicine cabinets badly located, faucets inconveniently placed, tubs difficult to get in and out of, and toilets both inefficient and difficult to clean."

Every architect, interior designer, and bathroom user concerned with design will want to own a copy of this groundbreaking book.

Genres: Design, Architecture

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Boniva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander Kira, a professor of architecture wrote this book for bathroom designers, but we can all benefit from this informative and unintentionally (?) amusing book.

Originally published in 1966, The Bathroom Book details every aspect of public and private bathroom design - down to toilet ergonomics, urine trajectory analysis and many photographs and diagrams of people at nature's call. Kira's main point seems to be is that Western facilities are not ergonomic and no one's heinie is clean enough.

Chapters include: Historical Aspects of Personal Hygiene Facilities, Social and Psychological Aspects of Body Cleansing and Care, The Anatomy and Physiology of Cleansing, Perineal Cleansing, Social and Psychological Aspects of Elimination, and Design Criteria for Defecation.

Did you know?!?

"Urine passing through the slit-like urethral opening is emitted in the form of a thin sheet that twists and spirals for approximately 100 - 150 mm (4 to 6 inches) and then disintegrates into a centrifugal spray (see Figures 53 and 54). Both the point of disintegration and the maximum diameter of the spray are directly proportional to the velocity of the stream, that is, the bladder pressure."

As regards men's poor aim:

"The normal water closet presents, however, a relatively poor target....Because of the general taboos on the elimination processes and the particular aversions to being directly and actively aware of elimination's taking place, most men will try to avoid urinating into the standing pan water - the easiest and most natural target - in order to avoid the embarrassment of being heard, since the noise, particularly with a full bladder, can be considerable and easily identifiable....Once the decision to avoid the water is made, the choice of target areas is limited to the sides and front and back walls of the bowl. In most water closets, the bowl configurations are such that these areas are small and difficult to hit with any degree of accuracy. Because of the necessity to stand up close to the front of the bowl to catch the dribble at the end of the action, the possibilities are further limited to the sides and back. Since, however, the back wall in most cases is vertical or nearly vertical, the target area presented is small and is useful for only a brief period since the length of the stream is trajectory continuously varies. This leaves only the side walls as a feasible elongated target. Since this area rarely exceeds 50mm (2 inches) by 180 to 205 mm (7 to 8 inches), it becomes obvious that not only is the proper trial-and-error maneuvering difficult to accommplish successfully, but also half of the cone of the urine stream inevitably falls on or outside the bowl, no matter how careful and accurate one may be in the process of continuously repositioning the stream. Jiggling the penis after urination results, of course, in more urine droplets going astray - onto the rim, the seat, the floor, and one's clothing."

"Still another problem that arises in the use of the water closet is the back splash resulting when the urine stream hits a hard surface. While this is a potential problem with any container, it poses particular difficulties with the water closet since this fixture has obviously been primarily designed to accommodate defecation, and urination has, as it were, been left to be a hit-or-miss affair."


And as regards ladies' hovering:

"Such a posture is, however, awkward and difficult to maintain and more often than not, especially when one is in a hurry, result sin urine's being dribbled on the seat, the bow, and the floor. Obviously, each successive user feels, in turn, even more justified in avoiding contact with the soiled fixture and puddle on the floor and so tends to assume an increasingly extreme posture with the inevitable result that her performance is, in turn, increasingly poor. Women's deplorable tendency to postpone urination as long as possible, particularly when out in public, contributes to this problem since urgency and a bladder full to the point of bursting can result in only a somewhat hasty and careless urination. In addition, in some circumstances at least, the carelessness may be deliberate:
'Sometimes...one finds a whole lot of pee on the edge of
seat and run down on the floor in a pool. I suppose
a women has done it on the edge of the seat on purpose.
I have often felt I should enjoy doing that; or just
stand up and hold up my clothes and do it straight down
on the floor.'
The incontrovertible argument for this practice of hovering is, of course, the inevitability of the fixture's being soiled, though this is one of those circular, self-fulfilling situations wherein if everyone sat as she does at home the problem of soiling would be virtually nonexistent."

But, hoverers, beware:

"In certain circumstances, however, even hovering is not totally risk-free, since Trichomonas vaginalis can also be transmitted via aerosols and back splash from contaminated pan water."


Why the need for reading material?

"One largely unresolved problem, and one of considerable concern and embarrassment to people, is the matter of noise. Bathroom sounds, whether of human or hydromechanical origin, tend to be pronounced, easily identifiable, and hence a cause of intense embarrassment for many people - both the originator of the noise and any listeners."

"People who experience shame or guilt in connection with elimination, particularly defecation, very often must take their minds off the act in order to defecate at all. Otherwise, tensions produced by guilt or ugliness associated with the act will prevent completion. One of the most common methods of accomplishing this is reading."

"It has been suggested by some psychologists that reading also serves as a symbolic way of replacing the material lost through defecation and helps to prolong the act of defecation and the consequent loss."

The book, sadly is out of print but if you see a copy, nab it! You won't be disappointed.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had this book sitting on the shelf for about 30 years and finally decided to try and read it.
I had read bits and pieces before. It's like you'd figure: written in a the 1960s when people still referred to Humanity as "Man". A lot of it is totally obvious stuff, but there are a few interesting bits of information. Some insights into the way things were back then.
Pretty tough slog overall, but I made it.

All in all it's fun to have it on the bookshelf, but I'm going to go leave it in someone's Mini-Library.

[Chris Beiser · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good parts to this book—it starts out strong with its examination of the sink, and the proffered design is one of the few that stands above the quality of those available today. But, as might be expected from a male writer in the 1950s writing about scatological topics, it is not without fault.

Key among them: a dozen pages on the design for a urinal for the home, featuring five detailed diagrams—as any alternative would "deny the male the free use of his greatest glory, and would condemn him to assume the position of a woman." Menstruation is dealt with in one paragraph, under the heading of "miscellaneous hygiene"; Kira's only suggestion is that toilets contain a "mechanical grinder" to render more types of solid waste disposable without issue. Secondarily, there is rather too much absurd Freudianism—chief among it, claims that constipation and diarrhea are principally psychological issues.

Specifications for showers are well conceived of, but Kira fails to imagine the innovation so popular today across the world—a room with a sloped floor and drain, with no hard division between the showering area and the rest of it. Instead, we get tens of pages on how to properly size the wall which must separate the shower from the rest of the room, the dangers of said divider for the elderly and children, etc.

I should note that my copy is of the original edition (blue cover), and not the revised and expanded edition—a fact for which I am somewhat grateful.

[Charlie Kester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first encountered this gem more than twenty years ago while browsing the stacks in the University of Washington architecture department's library, and spent a pleasant hour reading it there. But I failed to make a note of the author's name, so although I've often wanted to return to it I wasn't able to because searching for the generic title never found what I was looking for -- until I finally and recently stumbled on a copy in a used books store.

Along with Sam Clark's The Motion-Minded Kitchen, Donald Norman's The Design of Everyday Things, and of course Christopher Alexander's Pattern Language, this is one of my foundational texts on ergonomic design in the domestic sphere.

[Dmitry Borovik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Неплохо иллюстрированная книга с приятной бумагой и отличной версткой. Автор критически анализирует проблемы проектирования ванных и туалетов, дает практические советы дизайнерам интерьеров и инженерам. Описывает психологию поведения и быт в общественных туалетах.

Будет полезна тем, кто делает себе ремонт или просто для расширения кругозора.

[Cuiet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книге исполнилось полвека, а она всё так же полезна и актуальна. Прогресс в организации санузлов не наблюдается.

[Isham Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unusual book on the history of bathrooms is revealing and fascinating.