Assignment 1: Bad design reflections
Entrance view of toilet
A friend of mine, who refused to be named, has agreed to contribute his feelings after trying out the above toilet.
Comment 1: “It was an exposing experience! Anyone can see straight into the toilet! I don't even wish to step into it.”
Flaw #1: The entrance of the toilet has no door!
True enough, a person standing at the entrance of the toilet will be able to see almost everything that the urinal user does, including his facial expressions, posture, movements, etc. This poses a serious problem as the female toilet is just down the hallway, and anyone walking along the hallway can see exactly what those guys in the toilet are doing!
Comment 2: “The only thing that prevents a direct view from the entrance of the toilet is that chest-height level wall beside the sinks.”
Caught in action!
( person in picture has agreed to pose for it and not taken unlawfully!)
Flaw#2: Users of the toilet do not feel concealed enough to answer their call of nature in a “safe” environment.
That wall is the only physical separator between the toilet user and the rest of the passer-bys along the hallway. It is quite embarrassing if the user were to release any other weird facial expressions as they ease themselves.
Comment 3: “If you think you are only exposed from only one side, think again….”“People can see even clearer from the outside of the toilet!”
view from inside to outside
Flaw#3: Users are also highly vulnerable from other sides!
Did you notice? From inside the toilet, the sports field can be seen clearly from that wide window. In other words, people from outside can also see in clearly too! Although users of the toilet need not endure the stench of the toilet, due to the availability of fresh air coming in from those big open windows, they are also heavily exposed to others!
view from outside of window
From close, people outside of the window will be able to see "everything". However, from far distances, things won't be that visible.
People are not that visible from outside in the daytime. However, when night falls, the toilet lights will make them ultra visible to anyone who decided to take a stroll in the field.
Lesson learnt by friend:
1. For this kind of amenity, the only concealed place to answer the call of nature, with privacy, is inside the cubicle.
2. In order to use the urinals, users must not be shy. If not, they must have good skills of concealment.
3. Airy, but the concept is too open. Conservative people may not find it comfortable in using it.
My Reflections:
This design of toilet is generally too open and can invite unwanted stares from passer-bys. It is embarrassing for the users of the toliet, as well as any females walking past that hallway.
Suggestions:
1. A door can be set up so that direct view from passer-bys can be avoided.
2. The entrance of toilet can be built such that it is not a straight path within the toliet, and this design is often implemented in new shopping malls like Plaza Singapura and Bishan's Junction Eight.
3. The window should be positioned higher and be made smaller, so that a direct view from people in the field is not possible.