About 60% of Americans use a public restroom one to five times a week, according to the latest annual hand washing survey conducted by Bradley Corporation.
Besides using the toilet and washing their hands, the top five things Americans do in a public restroom are: check their appearance, blow their nose or cough, get away, use their cell phone and change clothes. By far, 18-34 year olds use public restrooms the most frequently with three to 10 stops a week.
“When we looked at how people ‘get away’ in a public restroom, we found 27% use it as a place to take a mental health break, avoid someone, hide, and even cry,” says Jon Dommisse, director of strategy and corporate development for Bradley Corp. “Almost a third of the population go to the restroom for respite.”
That begs the question about whether designers of public restrooms should build in space and benches for people to recompose themselves. This may be happening already, with family restrooms having grown in popularity in the past decade. Some 76% of parents have availed themselves of a family restroom to, among other things, change a diaper, change clothes, wash a child’s face, and calm a child.
Related Stories
| Jul 31, 2014
Stalled $1.5 billion Miami mixed-use redevelopment project advances
A long-delayed $1.5 billion mixed-use development in Miami moved ahead after city planners approved the project’s first phase.
| Jul 30, 2014
USGS updates National Seismic Hazard Maps
The U.S. Geological Service recently released an update of U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps that reflect the latest analysis of where future earthquakes will occur, how frequently they may occur, and their strength.
| Jul 23, 2014
Fairfax County, Virginia toughens green standards
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently strengthened its green building policy, requiring higher standards for residential, retail, office and other construction projects seeking approval for rezoning.
| Jul 23, 2014
Berkeley National Lab’s FLEXLAB is a test bed for energy efficient office design
FLEXLAB, short for the Facility for Low Energy Experiments, opened this summer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
| Jul 23, 2014
House passes 2015 GSA budget with 17% cut for new construction projects
The General Services Administration’s construction budget for fiscal year 2015 passed by the House this month includes cuts in both new construction and renovation/repairs compared to 2014.
| Jul 16, 2014
Coastal flooding increasing along East Coast, says report
An analysis of tidal levels and flood data by the news organization Reuters concludes that flooding has increased along the Eastern Seaboard over the past four decades.
| Jul 16, 2014
Local hiring requirement a tough challenge for new Detroit arena project
An agreement for a land transfer from the City of Detroit to Ilitch Holdings Inc., that enabled construction of a new arena for the Detroit Red Wings requires that 51% of the project’s construction workers must come from the city.
| Jul 16, 2014
Local hiring requirement a tough challenge for new Detroit arena project
An agreement for a land transfer from the City of Detroit to Ilitch Holdings Inc., that enabled construction of a new arena for the Detroit Red Wings requires that 51% of the project’s construction workers must come from the city.
| Jul 16, 2014
Massive $6.5 billion Silicon Valley development gets key city approval
The Santa Clara (Calif.) City Council approved the next steps for a massive development project next to Levi’s Stadium, the new home of the San Francisco 49ers.
| Jul 11, 2014
California Supreme Court rules that architects can be sued by condo association
The decision held that even though, on most projects, the developer has the final say on design choices, the architect can’t escape liability to the end user.