I have a question for the forum folks. I attended North Park University in Chicago and there is a question no one seems to be able to answer so I wanted to poll the experts or the interested.
Built in 1967 in a commercial style, Carlson Tower is a main classroom campus building on campus. It is 6 stories with a typical lecture/lab layout.
The question everyone has is, "Why do restrooms alternate by gender every other floor.?" Is this a standard design? Some sort of crowd control? It is a Christian University. lol
After speaking with professors and archivists, the building was not a dorm and classes were never segregated by gender.
Any tidbits or guidance anyone has would be appreciated! Thanks!
I've seen other institutional buildings from earlier eras with this arrangement; old office buildings, too.
The force or theory at work seems to be "it's better to build a big restroom on each floor and alternate them by sex, rather than build two smaller restrooms on each floor."
And, of course, your class or destination is always on the floor without the proper plumbing for your personal plumbing.
It was a mid-century way of saving money in single-user buildings. By only having one bathroom per floor, you could more easily centralize all the plumbing chases and systems. But as it turns out, people really hate having to go upstairs or downstairs to go to the bathroom.
Sep 6, 12 8:30 pm ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
Institutional Design - College Mystery
I have a question for the forum folks. I attended North Park University in Chicago and there is a question no one seems to be able to answer so I wanted to poll the experts or the interested.
Built in 1967 in a commercial style, Carlson Tower is a main classroom campus building on campus. It is 6 stories with a typical lecture/lab layout.
The question everyone has is, "Why do restrooms alternate by gender every other floor.?" Is this a standard design? Some sort of crowd control? It is a Christian University. lol
After speaking with professors and archivists, the building was not a dorm and classes were never segregated by gender.
Any tidbits or guidance anyone has would be appreciated! Thanks!
I've seen other institutional buildings from earlier eras with this arrangement; old office buildings, too.
The force or theory at work seems to be "it's better to build a big restroom on each floor and alternate them by sex, rather than build two smaller restrooms on each floor."
And, of course, your class or destination is always on the floor without the proper plumbing for your personal plumbing.
It was a mid-century way of saving money in single-user buildings. By only having one bathroom per floor, you could more easily centralize all the plumbing chases and systems. But as it turns out, people really hate having to go upstairs or downstairs to go to the bathroom.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.