Creating Better Commercial Washrooms: How to Improve User Experience and Wellbeing Through Evidence-Based Commercial Washroom Design

This report is the culmimation of a study into the impact commercial washroom design can have on user experience, commissioned by manufacturer Armitage Shanks and led by chartered architect and academic at the Belfast School of Architecture, Dr Saul Golden. As one of the leading manufacturers of private and public bathroom solutions, Armitage Shanks commissioned ‘Creating better washrooms’ as part of its commitment to working across urban development, architecture and residential design to provide washroom solutions that shape the future of modern living.

With commercial washroom quality increasingly acknowledged as an important contributor to people’s workplace satisfaction and consumer choice, this research provides timely lessons for washroom designers to better adapt their projects from short-term trends to longer-term shifts in user demand. The research, carried out in collaboration with Armitage Shanks and Ideal Standard Group, compares worldwide studies on commercial workplaces and washroom design with the results from a unique Europe-wide survey of commercial washroom end users and designers.
This report reviews how changing social-work life patterns, demographics, and technological innovation already impacton commercial washroom design globally, and – through the research findings – sets out what this means, more locally, for EMEA professionals.

The findings offer unique internationally relevant insights into people’s views on washroom hygiene, health, and comfort. They aim to help designers improve their projects and support earlier added-value discussions with clients on investment priorities. The report also illustrates key areas where designers and specifiers can collaborate more effectively with manufacturers and suppliers across the full washroom supply chain, to holistically consider the whole-life human, environmental and economic aspects of future washroom projects and deliver better outcomes for the benefit of all.

The report was launched in front of media and customers during the company’s ‘Washroom Week’ – a series of insight-led events aimed at the architecture and design communities. The launch event featured an expert panel talk examining the findings and their implications on the world of washrooms. Upon it's public launch, the report was widely publicised and praised in Hospitality and Washroom Design industry press reports and blogs; and has been promoted continuously by Ideal Standard and Armitage Shanks through their dedicated IdealSpec website, and through Linkedin among other platforms.