How to Design an Eco-Friendly Bathroom
We live in a world where environmental consciousness has become the new status quo for everything from designing candy wrappers to spaceships. But architects are left to wonder, how do you build a facility with premium features without negatively impacting the local environment?
The answer to that could easily fill a book (and it has!), so for this post, we’ll narrow it down and focus on how to design and eco-friendly bathroom.
Conserve Energy with Motion-Detectable Lighting
One of the best ways to make your bathroom more eco-friendly is to reduce the amount of wasted energy. Installing lights that rely on a motion sensor to turn on will help to keep them from running when the room is unoccupied. Just make sure to set the auto-off timer to an appropriate interval to give guests enough time to use and exit the facility before the lights shut off.
Use Automatic Faucets to Reduce Water Waste
When it comes to water waste, hand washing is one of the top perpetrators. By using an automatic faucet, you can be sure that the water is running only when someone is washing their hands.
For additional water conservation, opt for using slow-flow faucets, which use significantly less water while still offering the same amount of hand washing capability.
You can also add automatic soap dispensers, which might not save on energy costs, but they can help to make your bathroom more sanitary.
Opt for an Air Hand Dryer Instead of Paper Towels
Paper towels add to the amount of waste your facility produces. Not only that, but they also contribute to the deforestation of woodland areas around the world. So instead of using paper towels in your facility, you can have an air hand dryer installed. These high-powered air dryers work just as well as paper towels without the wasteful by-product.
As a bonus, use an automatic hand dryer that will help to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria within the facility.
Install High-Efficiency Toilets
High-efficiency or low-flush toilets have been around for years, but many people have the misconception that low flush somehow equates to low quality. Nothing could be further from the truth. These highly efficient toilets use a fraction of the water of full-flush toilets but are equally as effective.
Consider installing low-flush toilets and urinals in your bathroom to make it eco-friendly.
Use Eco-Friendly Materials
When you sit down to design the bathroom, it’s important to consider what materials you’ll use. Will they need to be made from scratch or are there eco-friendly options made from recycled resources? Materials like high-density polyethylene (HDPE) offer the greatest opportunity for eco-friendly material sourcing.
HDPE is made up of recycled materials and is itself 100% recyclable. The durable plastic can be used for manufacturing bathroom vanities and toilet partitions as well as shower stalls, lockers, and other applications.
Want to learn about other ways to make your building eco-friendly? Download our FREE eBook Sustainable Building Products: How to Make Your Facility Eco-Friendly from Top to Bottom. This helpful guide will walk you through where you can implement recyclable materials, how to combat harmful emissions, and more.