User Preferences on Toilet Features and Layout: Observations from a Homogeneous Sample of Users in a University Building

This paper presents an analysis of user preferences regarding the use and design of toilets in densely populated buildings. Toilets are a necessary utility in all buildings, but little is known about users’ preferences, which often leaves building designers relying on the simple application of design codes or manufacturers’ instructions. The opportunity for this research was offered by the renovation of the sanitary facilities taking place in a large university building at the Iuav University of Venice. When the research was carried out, only half of the toilets of the building had been renovated, offering a unique opportunity to compare the preferences of users between the refurbished and the old toilets. Students enrolled in the undergraduate architecture program hosted in the building were surveyed with a questionnaire to monitor their preferences for using the toilets, comparing the old and new layouts and technical characteristics of the bathrooms. Simultaneously, on-site observations were conducted to measure the occupation of toilet blocks and compare the performance of the new versus the old layout. The results offer novel and detailed information on the use of bathrooms by a homogeneous group of users and their preferences concerning the design features of lavatory spaces, highlighting user-centered design priorities. The results contradict some commonplaces, for instance about the longer time spent in public restrooms by females. Also, results highlight the limited usage of urinals by males but evidence how the minority of males that do use them create an advantage for the whole male population.