Leon Marvin Bädorf

Whilst out walking along the Rhine thinking about our “In and Out” project one day, I called in at a public lavatory, where I noticed that, after washing their hands, people were having to operate a knob with their hands, which is surely not the most hygienic state of affairs. Armed with this observation, I set about working out how the situation might be ameliorated. I was intent on making going to the toilet more hygienic in general. I started by considering the installation of a knob or sensor that users could operate with their feet instead of by hand. I initially thought of using a photoelectric barrier as the sensor, then rejected this idea given that the risk of vandalism is particularly high in public conveniences and such a device could be easily tampered with.

A switching surface struck me as being a more practicable solution, by contrast. While I was contemplating where to position the knob, the idea of a pedal occurred to me. A pedal would fulfil the same purpose as a conventional knob as well as being more environmentally sound.

An additional aspect that arose during my research was the need for suitable feedback for users of the toilet. People sometimes feel ill at ease in public conveniences due to the locking mechanism not seeming to be reliable enough. The solution I came up with was an object that combines a foot pedal with a knob.

Determining the shape of the pedal was an important point. I thought of making use of an oval shape based on the sustain pedal on a piano. I was very satisfied with both the size and shape of the ensuing model.

I also built a red signal light into the pedal. This is activated when a person uses the pedal to lock the door. The door is required to emit an unmistakeable visual signal once it has been locked.

In his essay Greifen und Begreifen (“Grasping with Hand and Mind”), Otl Aicher stresses the importance of cooperation between hands, eyes and the brain. Hands are capable of feeling out the haptic properties of an object as well as interacting with it. The brain understands correlations and draws conclusions.

Both are very powerful tools that can be of great benefit to us. I accordingly conceived a compelling, hygienic solution that takes the form of a modern pedal. A pedal is not something that can be taken hold of, but it can be felt. It is our feet rather than our hands that work and get to grips here.

The most telling aspect of my concept was how important it is to have a physically and psychologically reliable means of locking the door in a public toilet. It is for this reason that I see a clear link with Otl Aicher.