Stuart Bridman is right (Flushed with Success, BSj 12/06). There are tremendous water savings to be made from a cistern-less loo.

For example, 10 men visit a washroom to use the urinal. The probable result is that the cistern flushes once using 6 litres. Now 10 women do the same. The likely outcome is that they will all flush the WC after use, and some may even flush the WC before use. The water used could be 60-plus litres.

This enormous waste of water has been happening for more than a century and one reason is that, historically, building design has in the main been a male-dominated profession and we either didn’t understand, or were too embarrassed, to consult females.

We now have a lot of female members of CIBSE and I am sure that, if given the task, they could come up with the solution of a ladies’ “urinal”, saving a huge amount of water.

Jeff Kirton, MCIBSE

Source

Building Sustainable Design