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  ARCHITECTS & RESTROOM DESIGN
     
ARCHITECTS & PARURESIS

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COMMUNAL RESTROOMS LIKE THIS VIOLATE THE AMERICAN'S WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA )

The American's With Disabilities Act (ADA) Section 302. PROHIBITION OF  DISCRIMINATION BY PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS:  "(a) General Rule.--No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation."

 

ADA also states that a person is "considered to have a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Approximately 7%* of the population are unable to urinate in the presence of others.  This mental impairment is called paruresis.    

In buildings with communal restrooms (see photos above and below), paruresis sufferers are unable to urinate when others are in the same room or can hear this.  Toilet/urinal partitions or background music often provide little or no relief.  This environment damages the quality of life people should expect when functioning in society. 

Private restrooms eliminate circulation square footage and thus can cost about the same to build as communal styles.  The circulation square footage in communal restrooms provides general public movement only (wasted space) while serving no other purpose.   Private restroom doors open onto corridors, lobbies, etc. without need for this circulation square footage.

ADDITIONAL COSTS - Private restrooms have additional doors (with hardware and openings $1,200 each), sinks with plumbing $1,200 each, CMU block $4.15 per square foot, ductwork $7.25 per pound, etc.

PRIVATE RESTROOMS COSTING SIMILAR - For a typical building costing $150 per square foot, subtract the deleted circulation square footage construction costs from the additional costs (above) and private restrooms should cost about the same or less.  Also, subtract urinal and toilet partitions as these are not used.  

With private restrooms, worker and customer satisfaction will increase leading to better productivity and increased sales.  Buildings become user friendly, inviting, more in demand and an environment people feel comfortable with. 

Necessity is the mother of invention.  This site proposes restroom evolution freeing up the lives of millions.

Therapy is not the issue as 7% of Americans is the population of New York State.  Paruresis is extremely common.  Americans need not spend their time and money to be "treated", even if psychiatry helped or was the issue with so many people involved, when communal restrooms can be eliminated in all new buildings on the drawing board. 

Since ADA acknowledges "mental impairments", proper restroom design is the issue anyway.  Installing private restrooms should not cost as much as communal styles being evolution, designing things in a better way.  Please read ADA at the top of this page under the pop up ad.

Communal restrooms are serious architectural mistakes, they violate ADA and damage people's lives.  The days of designing buildings without access for Americans to use the restroom will end. 

 

 

*      www.paruresis.org plus see Table 1 on the following link:       http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/155/5/613/T1  

 

** 2000 IBC, Section 1108.2 "Toilet rooms and bathing facilities shall be accessible.  Exception 3 interpretation - by adding one additional non-accessible toilet room in excess of the minimum fixtures required, 5%, minimum 1 shall be accessible.  This is a valid interpretation, yet the International Code Council (ICC) claims, because of ADA, that each and every clustered private restroom must be accessible (not 5%, minimum 1).  ICC appears willing to change their code requirement if ADA changes theirs of every clustered private restroom having to be accessible.  
                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

   

ARCHITECTS, DELETE COMMUNAL RESTROOMS THROUGHOUT YOUR NEW DESIGNS - IN ALL BUILDINGS, INSTITUTIONS & FACILITIES - STARTING NOW THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS NECESSARY


Private restrooms should cost about the same to build as communal restrooms.  The restrooms above and below should have circulation square footage to spare for accessible** private restrooms with doors opening onto corridors, lobbies, etc.

Subtract the saved circulation square footage from the extra doors, sinks, concrete block, ductwork and lighting needed for the private restrooms and see the price comparison.

17391

 

TYPICAL COMMUNAL RESTROOM

Architects, layout a recent communal restroom design with accessible private restrooms instead.  Notice the eliminaged circulation square footage.  Private toilet room doors open onto corridors, lobbies, etc. with much of the above circulation square footage being eliminated.