Forget sliced bread or AI software. There is no greater marker of civilization, of just how far we have come from our primate ancestors, than the public restroom. All animals must answer the call of nature, but how many can claim to have created little spaces where everyone can do their business in a calm, private environment, where waste is discreetly flushed away, and the space is communally maintained? Public restrooms are primarily an urban phenomenon—there being less need for them out in the countryside, where calls of nature can be answered within nature itself. The Ancient Romans were big on communal latrines, where people would sit convivially along planks with holes that opened onto remarkable drainage systems. In China, meanwhile, evidence has been found of communal latrines and septic tanks dating back almost as far. This story is from Kinfolk Issue Fifty-One Buy Now Related Stories Design Issue 51 John Pawson From the king of minimalism: “I find the essential and get the design down to a point where you can’t add or subtract from it.” Design Interiors Issue 51 Axel Vervoordt Inside the world of Axel Vervoordt. Design Issue 51 Inga Sempé “Minimalism is boring as hell, and on top of that, it’s preachy.” Design Issue 51 Halleroed Meet the giants of Swedish retail design. Design Issue 51 Andrew Trotter The architect and designer on renewing traditional architecture. Design Issue 51 Kim Lenschow The architect who wants to show you how your house works.
Design Issue 51 John Pawson From the king of minimalism: “I find the essential and get the design down to a point where you can’t add or subtract from it.”
