Future Bathrooms
The Initial Bathroom
First starting this project, I was faced with a creative block as I found difficulty in designing past the barrier of a conventional bathroom, since I was used to seeing bathrooms in a way that we deemed we normal and I found it hard to elevate this. It is safe to say I hadn’t encountered a project so far that evolved to this extent in regards to the design and my thought process of how an interior space can be laid out.
My initial draft bathroom design is very different to the end result however am glad I experienced the journey I took towards the destination. The project pushed my creative boundaries, to think outside the box and see a greater potential for a space past a bog standard design criteria such as a bathroom.
When I first came up with the concept for the bathroom, I thought about the key words in designing for my client: well-being, healthy living and Japanese Zen. My client collects and grows plants that focus on promoting the well-being of others by bringing them into interior spaces. Therefore I wanted to base my bathroom design around his ethos and follow the Japanese bathrooms and rituals as they focus on mindfulness and spirituality which also contribute to ones healthy well-being. This will compliment my clients collection.
I researched into Onsen baths and bathing rituals, and found traditionally you would shower first before soaking in the bath which governed my design to have two separate cleaning zones. Japanese themed bathrooms such as the Fujiya Ryokan in Ginzan Onsen Village in Yamagata and the Nobu Ryokan hotel in Malibu inspired me to use wooden accents, similar to saunas, and raw materials like unpolished stone tiles and cedar wood which is known to be aromatic and relaxing.
Since my client collects air purifying plants, I wanted to incorporate natural ventilation and air flow into the bathroom. It seemed fit because bathrooms have a build up of hot air and condensation which can form mould if not ventilated properly. This is where I found the Maruhon Ryokan in Japan which cleverly utilises a buoyancy driven system where cold air enters through an opening and rises when it becomes hot into another opening at the top. The air pattern allows for a curved roof above the bath. I applied this to my bathroom design, so the top opening partially acts as a skylight for the shower and bath.
I drew up my sections and plans in AutoCAD and I found creating technical drawings with dimensions a lot easier to then create my drawings and become confident in my designs, having explored the functionality of my space and knowing it could realistically work. I produced perspective renders on AutoCAD and photoshop for the first time and I found this to be something I really enjoyed as my designs materialised from concept into digital visualisations that I could have control of.
After The Tutorial: Final Bathroom Brief
Following the tutorial, I learned that I was too hung up on the conventional bathroom design and I needed to elevate this further. I then developed my keywords into plant geometry, which later shaped the spatial layout of my bathroom. Developing a mood board helped me centre my concentration on fractals, the Fibonacci sequence and phyllotaxis which later developed into the golden angles of exactly 137.5 degrees.
After analysing the golden angle diagrams, I considered having separate zones in each of the golden angle. The angles are obtuse therefore they overlap so I knew I had to use layering and overlapping to distinguish the zones and angles. To do this, I wanted to create a bathroom that spirals upwards with height levels using steps, similar to how plant leaves sprouts and spirals in the golden angle. I wanted to create a central point, a vacancy, a common place that you gravitate towards to bring the bathroom together, similar to a plant stem where leaves grow from. I instinctively thought of the shower and having a natural waterfall coming into the centre point, eliminating the conventional shower head. Waterfalls are a design feature incorporated in many Japanese bathroom designs in the form of taps however I wanted to take it literal to reproduce the connection with nature. The shower being the main point and on ground floor, it logically made sense to place the bath at the highest level, so you are working your way up to bathe and following the traditional bathing sequence using the golden angle plant sequence.
The waterfall idea reminded me of the Jewel Changi Airport. I must have taken inspiration to this or saw the resemblance after incorporating it into the bathroom shower. This feature re-uses the water as it pumps it back up into the roof to create a cycle of constant flow. This was something to consider for the shower, to sustainably re-use the water with a filtering system. Also, the air movements create a spiral effect and active cooling system due to the drag force of the falling water, which was another aspect to consider.
I delved into organic sink designs, as I wanted the bathroom to feel as earthy and raw as possible, to emulate a natural environment alongside the mathematical arrangement of the bathroom.
With all this in mind, I could create my drawings in AutoCAD, which helped me in visualising my atmospheric section. Drawing up dimensions always help me in creating a space that can work realistically and I can get an idea of spatial ratios.