Marius Helten (*1986) completed his architecture studies at ETH Zurich after spending time in Aachen and Tokyo. After working at Something Fantastic and David Chipperfield Architects in Berlin, he now works in Tokyo and Berlin and has been a research assistant at the Chair of Housing Design at RWTH Aachen University since 2022. He is co-founder of Film Based Research and the Videowohnen project.
This article examines the potential of alternative bathroom configurations that extend beyond the confines of the individual dwelling. While contemporary residential construction is characterized by the formation of standardized bathroom types shaped by technical and normative requirements, film-based bathroom portraits from the user’s perspective document a diverse range of bathing practices. These range from private bathrooms located outside the individual dwelling and improvised substitute bathrooms to shared sanitary facilities at campsites and fragmented bathroom arrangements in student residences. The article explores a range of design possibilities that foreground flexibility, communal use, and individual suitability in residential construction. Variations in privacy, the potential for parallel use, and the spatial decoupling of bathroom and apartment point to a design potential that has so far remained largely untapped. The article argues for a broader spectrum of bathroom configurations that accommodate different lifestyles, comfort expectations, and forms of cohabitation, while also creating opportunities for shared use and community.