Ideas and Development

After we figured out the layout plan of the bathroom, we are starting to sketch some of the furniture needed in the bathroom, such as bathtub, toilet, sink, shower,etc. But in our case, we are modifying the current bathroom furniture to a more suitable design for the safety of the elders.We use the all of the information from our survey, research and case study, etc. to come up with the best possible design that will prevent as well as minimizing bathroom injury and problem.

So here are some of our rough sketches of the furniture development, it is still very raw and we are still working on it. 🙂

This is our sink sketch, with horizontal bar grab next to it, that will help elders when they are getting the paper towel.

This walk-in bathtub is designed with a anti-slip mat, adjustable cushion as well a diagonal bar grab.

 This is the walk-in shower complete with a shower seat, so that elders don’t have to shower standing, also there are adjustable shower with its temperature control, and there are several bar grabs around the shower wall.

This is a blow-up sketch of the adjustable shower with its water setting from the walk-in shower.

This is a blow-up sketch of the fold-able shower seat inside the walk-in shower.

This is a sketch of the toilet seat that has adjustable toilet seat and automatic flush.

These are different sketches of bar grabs that can be installed around the bathroom.

There are some details in the pictures that aren’t really shown, like all of the furnitures are beveled, so there will be no sharp edges that can injured the elders. Lots of anti-slip mats as well as anti-slip bar grabs are also provided to avoid and prevent from slipping.

Design Solution Continued

Continuing on my design process proposal, we are doing the last chapter and the most important chapter of all, which is the final design chapter.

In this last chapter, we are going to demonstrate about what we’ve learned and found, and we are going to show how we are going to solve the current bathroom issue.

Currently we are still developing our sketches and ideas on how our final design will look like. Firstly we are thinking of designing a bathroom with its layout plan. So we’ve been researching on some of the reasonable bathroom layouts. The picture below is one of the examples of bathroom layout. Later on, we are going to create our own layout plan with our own designed or renovated furniture and size.

Common Current Bathroom Layout Plan

(http://remodelerbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/As-built-master-bath.jpg)

Then After we figured out about our layout plan, we are planning on sketching the layout plan into a bathroom perspective drawing, so that our audience can illustrate as well as imagine our design better.

Bathroom One-Point Perspective Marker Rendering

(http://desainrumahunik.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/simple-bathroom-drawing.jpg)

Then all of these layout plan and marker rendering sketch of the bathroom, will also be put up on our presentation board. With this visualization, it will help everyone so that everyone can easily picture our proposed idea and understand our idea better.

Brainstorming Design Solutions

For the past term, we’ve been interviewing, surveying and researching all of the problems that are faced by elders in the bathroom. With our goal to make a better bathroom for elders, we are approaching to finding possible design solutions that can be used to make a safer bathroom for elders.

(http://www.housingcare.org/downloads/services/photos/7634_3358.jpg)

Through the result of both our survey and interview, we managed to narrow down some of the major difficulties that are faced by elders these days on using the bathroom. With the common answers and common difficulties such as wet floor, high tub walls, toilet seat’s height, we are trying to improve the bathroom safety with creative and different way.

First thing first, with the most common problem in the bathroom, which is when bathroom floor gets wet easily, especially after shower, we are thinking of putting a floor dryer that is not common to avoid major injury that often happen at the older age due to slipping. The idea of the floor dryer is that it can detect that when the floor is wet, then it can blow-dries the floor until it dries with the help of advanced technology of sensor.

We are also thinking of changing normal bathtub into a walk-in bathtub. In which, there’s a door on the bathtub wall, so that elders don’t have to a huge step to get into the tub, instead, they can just open the door and walk in to the bathtub. This idea will be very affective for elders who have balance difficulties as well for those who have leg problems.

These are some possible solutions that will be included in the bathroom design solutions. With the new accessories such as floor-dryer and walk-in bathtub, everything will be easier and safer for the elders. This ideas and solutions that we are using on improving the bathroom safety may not be final yet, but we pretty much get the rough idea on designing a better bathroom for the elders.

With more research and discussions, we are planning to present a safer bathroom floor plan as well as explaining on some bathroom accessories that is really helpful and efficient on keeping the elders safe.

(http://fallguysresearchlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/safe-bathroom.png)

Interview and Survey

It’s been a while since I updated my blog update my blog like week ago. So now we’re back in school, after a nice Chinese New Year break. During the Chinese New Year break, me and all my group members went back to our hometown. Through this we’ve given a chance to meet our elders, our grandparents and our old relatives. By this opportunity, we closely did some personal interviews and asked our elders about their feelings and opinion on the bathroom’s current design. Though I haven’t had the chance to meet and discuss the result with my fellow group members, I would like to share one of the interview I did with my paternal grandmother.

Interview-Cartoon-300×291.jpg

So I interviewed my grandmother, she’s 83 years old living with her grand daughter and daughter in a two-floor house with one maid. She told me some difficulties that she faced when she go to the bathroom, like the bathroom floor that tends to be slippery after she finished shower. She also told me that she has slipped and fell once due to the slippery floor, and this caused her a real injury on her buttocks and waist. Although,  she is well and has recovered from her injury, she admitted that she has became more careful when it comes to the wet floor. She also admitted that other elements like lighting, storage, shower handle, soap, etc. don’t really cause her any difficulties.

Through this interview I can relate more to the elders and  I can understand better about why they sometimes feel that bathroom can be so unsafe. Other than several interviews I did with my elders, I also asked some of the senior shop-keepers, senior cleaners, senior security guards in my apartment building. Looking at some of their survey answers, it is starting to be clearer that the big problem really relies on the slippery bathroom floor and toilet seat itself.

All of the findings I have found so far have not been discussed with other member in my group, however, the result I  have found this far give me a clearer picture on how to make a safer bathroom for elders.

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