Bathrooms: The Design History of an Overlooked Space

3 units

Today, the bathroom is one of the most essential and familiar spaces in modern architecture, one that students design again and again in studio. But what exactly goes into a bathroom and when did it take the form that we are familiar with today? How the bathroom is designed, which technologies are used in it, and what functions it serves depend on the specific social and cultural needs of a particular time and place. The bathroom of today, with its flush toilets, showers, baths, and sinks, is a rather new formation. This seminar will explore the history of the bathroom and its design across time and space, challenging students to reconsider exactly what a bathroom is and inviting them to think about new ways of designing it. Weekly readings will introduce students to the ways in which changing hygienic norms, the spread of a “culture of flushing,” and access to new materials and technologies shaped how architects designed bathrooms from Roman communal toilets and public baths to Japanese high-tech “ Washlets ” and prefabricated bath units. For their final projects, students will identify, research, and respond to a key social, environmental, or technological issue related to present-day bathrooms.