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Well, that was humbling.
Big survey project, exceptionally complex buildings with a complex boundary, but I’m up to it. I’m a hard worker, creative, and very smart (I’m emphasizing that for a reason, as will be seen).
I go in the office to use the potty, then tried to wash my hands in the nice sink. No water. I wave my hands back and forth in case it is automatic – nothing. There is a large chrome knob, but it neither turns nor pushes, so that can’t be it. There is a fancy soap dispenser, but what would that have to do with water. I finally went out to get the manager. He says, “Don’t feel bad – it took me two days to figure it out.” That fancy soap dispenser, isn’t. It is really a lever – flip it back and on comes the water.
Well, that was certainly a humbling experience. Who designs these fruity fixtures anyway?
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6 Replies
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Lavatory fixture design has long been a complaint of mine. I can’t count the number of hotel rooms in which I’ve stayed that caused me to spend more than a few minutes trying to figure out how to turn the water on or adjust the temperature. I think some designers are so desperate to do something different that they end up ignoring basic ergonomic concepts.
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While in college, one of my jobs was for the college in the mail room and as gofor to the administration between classes.
Was sent to city hall, a new building at 90% completion, to obtain the address for everyone in their system that included all of Smith Co and other areas for a massive mailout. They had the address on die dog tags and a machine to load cartridges of these dog tags that would imprint the address on envelopes.
Had to go to the bathroom and it the bathroom happened to be about 60% complete. The fixtures were in and operational so the worker said he will wait and went on a break. I go to the throne and realize that there is special made window that is actually the corner of the building from floor to ceiling corner looking out to Broadway, the main street into down town. It was like I was squatting on the little piece of ground between the sidewalk and curb.
Pain struck, I had no time to find another. :whistle: There I sat watching the world go by trying to hide in plain sight.
Afterwards, I walked back into the office and none of the women in there would look at me in the eye and before I resumed my task someone said that everything was ok and that they would finish the project and I was needed back at the college………
:-$
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In one of the main floor men’s washrooms at the British Columbia Institute of Technology there is a large round ceramic appliance (or at least there was in 1985). The bowl is about the right height to be a urinal. There is a floor level metal ring, and when you press it with your foot water comes out of a ring at hand washing level. To this day I have no idea if it was a urinal or a sink, or a combo. In 3 years I never saw anyone use it for anything. Fortunately this bathroom also had more traditional appliances as well.
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Wow! That took me back to about 1962. My little rural school was scheduled to travel to a far larger school to receive polio vaccine. (Younger readers may need to Google that) Upon arrival and knowing that we would all be getting in a long line in that school’s gymnasium, our teachers suggested that we all visit the rest rooms before going any further. Every boy on the bus headed to the Boys Room. As we entered nearly all of us kept going past a semicircular ceramic appliance precisely as you describe that was the first thing you came to upon entering the facility. Suddenly, I heard someone yell out, “Lonnie! No! Stop! That’s a sink!” Poor Lonnie was an eighth grader but he had never seen such a thing. He had made full preparation to make a liquid deposit until being so warned. We little fellows knew better than to let Lonnie see us laughing at him as he put things away before moving to a urinal.
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We’ve got a string of sammich shops here called “City Bites” that all have at least one thing in common….the johns are made of one way mirrors, floor to ceiling.
It is really difficult to get your business done when 12″ away there is a table tucked up against the mirror with folks enjoying their lunch. Whoever thought that up was nuts…
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That took me back to Old Sacramento in 1975. A fine establishment there had a similar arrangement for their restrooms. After a couple of drinks people were known to try to get the attention of people on the other side of the mirror while “hanging out”.
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