I’m (almost) always a supporter of ideas that conserve energy or resources. Theoretically then, I’d be for this minimalist bathroom idea show below, made with a minimum of materials, it looks like something from IKEA.
Only one problem…the dual use design is just a wee bit problematic:
Yes that’s right, it’s the eco pee n’ wash urinal combo hand wash stand.
From “Yanko Design” who writes:
Whoa! Men To Pee and Wash In The Same Stand!
I’m not a man so I really don’t know how comfortable you guys are going to be with this thought…peeing and washing hands in the same urinal stand! What Designer Yeongwoo Kim has done is incorporated the wash basin just above the spot you take aim to pee. The reason cited is that you’ll save a water flush cycle, coz when you rinse your hand after the job (I hope you guys do that!), the same gray water can be used to cleanse the urinal basin. Tell me, how many of you guys will be comfortable with this? For once, my opinion doesn’t count, but I do find it funny!
Eco Urinal is an iF Concept Design 2010 winning entry!
========================================
Well good for that, ew.
My question back is this: Since equality is important in our society today, please show me the water saving design for women’s restrooms.
Oh, no pee n’ wash design for that? Focus groups said Eww! ? Check.
I really don’t want to save water that much, and I really don’t think anyone else does either. Modern sanitation is one of mankind’s greatest health achievements. Let’s not mess with success. Plus, I don’t think the glass would survive long in a public restroom.
I think this is a FAIL blog candidate. Like George Costanza’s travel dilemma , faced with one of these on a road trip I wouldn’t go to the bathroom the entire trip.
PaddikJ
I design sanitary as well as HVAC systems. The trench or trough urinal is currently banned by most U.S. plumbing codes; the only exception I know is for New Orleans.
I suppose someone got the example above passed. I can see a few “regulatory” problems. There’s no accomadation for ADA or disabled individuals. The traps for the urinals will have to be run in the slab or floor, meaning coordination is critical (as opposed to walled mounted urinals). If the flow from the faucet is limited, uric acid will eat away at the steel. If the flow from the faucet is not limited, it will exceed code standards. Usually lavatories require some hot water; wouldn’t want to be standing their with parts of y body exposed to a hot water flow.
Neat design, wouldn’t want to design it.
Even the best, well maintained, decent flush volume urinal stinks to high heaven. I want to empty my badder and exit the immediate vicinity ASAP. I probably spend at least as much time washing my hands as I do urinating. This is a DUMB idea. Just watch human behavior in an airport bathroom. Take note of how many don’t wash their hands. A hell of a lot them don’t bother to flush! The autoflush feature was a great innovation…this one will probably be popular in Europe.
Djozar,
Interesting about trough urinals being banned. Do you happen to know the history? I assumed they’d been discontinued because we’ve become more prissy & privacy conscious – I can’t think of any public health rationale.
As I’m sure you’re aware, there is no such thing as an accessible urinal – ADA reqm’ts are satisfied by the water closets & stalls, wh. wouldn’t go away.
Nanny Government already requires temperature limiting on shower controls, so I don’t believe adapting them to lavatory faucets would be much of a challenge (and if properly designed, all of the sink water would sheet down the back).
All things considered, I’d guess that eliminating dedicated lavatory space & associated rough-ins would still be a money-saver, both up-front & life-cycle.
PaddikJ;
I agree there is no ADA urinal; instead we’re directed to install conventional urinals at lower heights. Supposedly you can pull a wheelchair up to them. If I was handicaped, I’d head for the water closet.
I used to have a history on the code deleting the troughs; they ARE still in use but they are just rare. I’ll try to find it tonight and pass it on.
The problem with tempering valves on the lavatories is cost and space. In this design, they’d be tough to install.
On a life cycle, I’d guess it might save money. The sanitarty ruiser will be more expensive, but it’s probably made up in space savings.
Since it’s been brought up by others, I’ll make mention of the waterless urinals. They DO work, and they are less expensive to install. However, the uric acid in the units tend to crystalize quickly, requiring cleaning the sanitary once a month. There’s also a problem with people for seem reason draining the non-Newtonina fluiod that serves as a seal; once the seal’s gone, the odor will overwhelm the space.
I think it’s funny that so many have been brainwashed to think you MUST wash your hands after you pee in a public restroom. Most people never wash their hands after they pee at home, and I’m willing to bet, never do after peeing outside.
Urine is sterile, so it is unnecessary.
Actually, it’s a feminist thing. It’s more important for women, because they’re wiping from a relatively unsanitary area. Men are not.
Anyhow, washing your hands too often leads to a weak immune system.
Pamela Gray says:
August 30, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Why is it man became the hunter and could throw a spear into a beast several yards away but can’t hit the broad side of a barn when peeing?
Because sometimes the hydrodynamic pressure sets up a resonance frequency.
That’s an image you’ll take to your grave… 😉
The house I had in Japan for 3 years had a toilet that had a depression in the tank cover that formed a small washbasin. When flushed the toilet refilled the tank via a spout into the small washbasin, which drained into the tank. Very useful for a half bath or toilet cubicle.
And the toilet also gave you the option of “small flush” or “large flush”.
Very eco conscious, back in 1990 timeframe.
Energy costs in Japan are huge, so energy conservation measures such as drying clothing on a line and using an electric dryer just to fluff them up are normal everyday responses to the high electricity costs.
Pamela Gray: I now refuse to clean up after the male of the species as I am tall, oldish and just had cataract surgery…and the normal household ‘loo’ is not designed to be a urinal; it is designed to be sat on. I also refuse to have a stinking bathroom or cloakroom, so males are requested kindly to sit while using said loos. If they wish to stand we have an outside ‘pissoir’, constructed by my other half!
Bill says:
August 31, 2010 at 1:38 pm . . .
“I think it’s funny that so many have been brainwashed to think you MUST wash your hands after you pee in a public restroom. Most people never wash their hands after they pee at home, and I’m willing to bet, never do after peeing outside.
“Urine is sterile, so it is unnecessary.
“Actually, it’s a feminist thing. It’s more important for women, because they’re wiping from a relatively unsanitary area. Men are not.
“Anyhow, washing your hands too often leads to a weak immune system.”
Say what? I wash my hands every time, and in public restrooms, I’m very careful not to turn off faucets with my clean hands or touch door handles on the way out. Those things are filthy. Mostly because of people like you touching them with contaminated hands.
Urine may be sterile, if you don’t have an infection, but your genitals are not.
How often is washing your hands too often in your opinion? I wash mine thirty or more times a day because I have many animals, and my immunity is perfect. I never get sick. The notion that we need to be dirty to boost our immune systems is absurd. By not eliminating harmful bacteria, you are forcing your immune system to deal with unnecessary things. It has plenty of exposure to bacteria without adding to the load.
The fact that you were raised by wolves is irrelevant to the value or non-value of hand-washing. I hope you don’t have any contact with food that others eat. Every e-coli breakout in this country is invariably traced to some food-handler or food-processor who didn’t wash his or her hands after using the bathroom, possibly thinking that his or her genitals were clean (e-coli migrates from the point of “origin”). One of worst in recent years was laughably blamed on cows on a neighboring farm–presumably to protect illegal immigrant harvesters from public wrath, but the Federal Government admitted a year later that this was just a “theory.”
I feel sorry for any wife, girlfriend, boyfriend or what-have-you who may be in your life. Ditto for children and pets. Are you, by any change, one of those hippie Greens who think being “natural” (i.e., grubby) is good? I happen to favor human progress, but to each his own . . . .
Annei, thanks for the info on the pissoir. My grandpa had a Christmas morning tradition of going out to the front porch before dawn and peeing his name into the snow:
James Stanislaus Clark. He had a second middle name as well but could never manage to write all 4 in one take. Drove me grandma to an early morning Tom and Jerry.
It was in ornate Catholic cursive as neat as you please too.
“d says:
August 31, 2010 at 9:41 am
why wash after peeing im careful and never get p on me i just wipe with paper towel. Besides the sinks in public restrooms are dirty enough as it is. after washing if you turn off the foscet you get many more germs then if you didnt wash at all. My advice only wash after number 2.”
Here in Aus where I work a few years ago, all the washhand basins were replaced with “water saving” basins. So the tap spout has a flow restrictor, which is OK. These new basins are “automatic”, so that you don’t need to turn on a tap, you just place your hands in the the basin, and the water is turned on. When you pull your hands out of the basin, the water turns off, no contact with any part of the basin. While this does save water, they consume power.
Anyway, if you handle money, coins/paper, it is covered with human waste byproducts. Also, there are many tribes in Africa who smear animal waste on themselves to build up their immune system.
There is only one reason why I wash my hands, probably more than most, is that in my early employment years I used to be a machine operator. You used to have to wear a barrier cream on your hands to protect your skin from the “slurry” used to lubricate/cool the tool and job on the machine. Old habbits die hard I guess….
“Anton says:
August 31, 2010 at 7:25 pm”
Strewth!! Out of interest, do you get ill often?
I simply cannot believe that only one or two of these comments address the unstated male aversion to being close to other males with their flies unzipped. In my part of the country (Midwest) it is considered REALLY weird to not look straight ahead, almost like it is “toe tapping” in men’s public john’s cubicles.
Here, the idea is to do your business and get zipped back up, and get the heck away from there. I worked with a guy who really read another guy the riot act for just turning his head a little bit. If you want to call it homophobia, okay – but I am telling you all it exists, and most guys here would be VERY uncomfortable with hanging around and washing their hands by another guy who is still whizzing. And look at those shelves in between – an invitation to even compound the situation.
Nah, that would never go over here, no matter what kind of splash minimization the shape provided (which would be very easy; they have decades of desing on those kinds of things – it is already solved.)
The ONLY way that would go over here would be to have a wide visual barrier between the urinals, where the guys can’t see each other at all.
The REAL thing here is that this had to have been designed by some student in Modern Design 101 – and he probably got a C- or D+ grade on it. Too many fundamental flaws in it. Why is it here? For a laugh?
[REPLY – Yes. For a laugh. ~ Evan]
The point about seperating pee and grey water is important. You want some other water with the pee or other black water. The drainage systems are not designed to take 100% black water. Plus if you get the pee to the treatment plant, it is not clear you can treat black water by digestion without adding back grey water. Grey water and drinking water is not quite the same. There is often two systems but it is about keeping rain water away from water needing treating. There if is not done, rain flows can be so high that storage/treatment is exhausted and untreated sewage gets dumped into the sea before treament is complete.
Patrick Davis says . . .
“’Anton says:
August 31, 2010 at 7:25 pm’”
“Strewth!! Out of interest, do you get ill often?”
Read my post above. The answer is no. I’ve had the flu only once in my life. I attribute much my good health to scubbing all the time, though it’s so normal for me, I don’t even think about it. But, I’m not scubbing to protect myself from germs; I’m doing it to avoid spreading germs to others. The fact that it appears to keep me healthy is, to me, a side benefit.
“Anton says:
September 1, 2010 at 1:03 am”
Well, you would not want to come to Australia, and get stung by the many creatures which populate this country and it’s seas because a quick treatment “trick” is to use urine to ease the pain.
Much complaining about guys not washing hands after peeing, as should be done because the genitals ain’t exactly germ free. Yet it seems there’s not much worry about washing the equipment beforehand “when the moment is right” and then it goes….
Although if people were more worried about germs, that’d make for a great line for guys to use right after getting out of the shower: “Quick, let’s hurry up and use it while it’s still clean!”
Patrick Davis says:
“Here in Aus where I work a few years ago, all the washhand basins were replaced with “water saving” basins. So the tap spout has a flow restrictor, which is OK. These new basins are “automatic”, so that you don’t need to turn on a tap, you just place your hands in the the basin, and the water is turned on. When you pull your hands out of the basin, the water turns off, no contact with any part of the basin. While this does save water, they consume power.”
Patrick – in the US, automatic faucets can’t be counted as conserving water on energy worksheets. Many people engage the sensor multiple times, resulting in more usage, and improper adjustment of the sensors results in operation due to random motion.
“kadaka (KD Knoebel) says:
September 1, 2010 at 5:28 am”
Funny! I recall from the 80’s a TV show in the UK. A man was a time traveller, not sure of the total storyline or program name but this is the gist of it. He met up with a woman. I recall he brought back a news paper from the future, which had the lottery numbers on it. She won! They developed a relationship and before the “act” (Snoo snoo from Futurama) he had to use an “ultrasonic shower”. She, eventually, persuaded him to not bother with that step, and just get on with it. LOL
“Djozar says:
September 1, 2010 at 5:42 am”
I hear what you are saying however, and unfortunately, this is nanny state, Green-lovin, Australia. Personally, I believe they actually waste water because of the delay in the water being shut off. But what would I know…I am not an environmentalist.
Patrick Davis says …
“Well, you would not want to come to Australia, and get stung by the many creatures which populate this country and it’s seas because a quick treatment “trick” is to use urine to ease the pain.”
Next time my obnoxious wealthy aging hippie neighbors complain of mosquito bites, I’ll make a point of peeing on them. Not that they would notice . . . .
” Bad reflections makes it look like there’s a splash guard right where we’d really not want it.”
It is designed to splash on your shoes and pants. Genius at work.
“Anton says:
September 1, 2010 at 8:07 am”
In Aus, from mossies, you’d get Ross River fever, pee won’t help that itch. But if you were stung by, say, a Bluebottle jellyfish, then yes, I am sure even hippes would approciate it.
Patrick Davis says . . .
September 1, 2010 at 9:26 am
“In Aus, from mossies, you’d get Ross River fever, pee won’t help that itch. But if you were stung by, say, a Bluebottle jellyfish, then yes, I am sure even hippes would approciate it.”
We have mosquito-bite related diseases here too, though I’ve never been bitten by a mosquito in my entire life. Maybe I’m too antiseptic.
My aging hippie neighbors probably pee on themselves regularly as part of some eco-worship ritual. For all their hipdom, they are the absolute worst pet-owners I’ve ever met. I’ve been rescuing and feeding their animals for years, and paying their vet bills too. And these people are very wealthy.
I wonder if guys who pee on the sides of buildings are actually marking them as possessions, though they aren’t aware of it. If I pee on my hippie neighbors, will have to support them in their dotage?
Anton>
If you wait til their dotage, they’ll pee on themselves…
I’m interested in your comments about the ‘s word’. I come from a background where the word for faeces is ‘shit’, not some euphemism. Although I understand that some people object to the word, I have never understood why – it’s from the same root as words like ‘scythe’, meaning something like ‘to separate from’. Would there be less of a mess if I pooed on your carpet instead of shat? 🙂