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Achieving equity in bathroom design is essential for ensuring all users have a fair and dignified experience
The simulator below combines British Standards provision guidance with demographic and physiological data to accurately model user behaviour and to predict queue lengths
It provides a Spira recommendation that not only meets (or surpasses) British Standards but actively designs for queue equity
This simulator has been designed with user experience in mind. The interface is intentionally simple, but there is a wealth of complex data behind the modelling
We utilised ONS data to establish baseline demographic proportions across different age and gender categories, which we then mapped to specific building types.
For example, a primary school model assumes a majority child user base with a predominantly female staff.
We then developed fourteen distinct user 'profiles' representing segments of the population with varying bathroom requirements.
For instance, to model menstruating users, we integrated NHS data to calculate the relevant age brackets and the proportion of women menstruating at any given time. We paired this with data on the frequency and duration of their bathroom visits.
By overlaying these behavioural profiles onto demographic mapping, we can accurately predict how different user groups will interact with a specific space
A number of practical factors drive this. Women rely entirely on cubicles, whereas men can use urinals, which significantly reduce turnaround time.
Women also spend more time undressing and redressing, are statisticallymore likely to accompany children and are affected by menstruation andpregnancy- both of which increase the frequency and duration of visits.
Furthermore, bathrooms are often divided by equal floor space rather than equal footfall. Because urinals take up less space than cubicles, an equally sized male bathroom will often have a higher provision of facilities.
This exacerbatesthe inequity, leading to the typically long queues for female facilities that areentirely preventable through better design
We have mapped statistically significant behaviours in as much detail as possible. While we cannot model every individual human condition, we have endeavoured to represent enough diversity to produce accurate queuing dynamics and highlight the commonly overlooked issues that impact users daily.
A key example is parental behaviour. We reviewed the gender split to understand the proportion of mothers versus fathers who accompany children to the toilet.
We also considered their layered spatial needs: if a bathroom provides a baby change table in an open area but lacks enlarged standard cubicles, a parent with a pram may be forced to use the accessible toilet if they themselves also need to use the bathroom!
This, in turn, directly impacts the wait time for disabled users who rely exclusively on those accessible facilities.
Sophia@Spiradesign.co
