Redesigning ablution facilities in Malaysian public restrooms: a hygienic and user-friendly approach

The current public restroom infrastructure in Malaysia often lacks dedicated ablution facilities, forcing Muslims to perform ablution at common sinks. These sinks are typically not designed to accommodate the ritual's requirements, resulting in water splashing that inconveniences user and creates slippery, dirty floors. This study aims to redesign ablution facilities in public restrooms to address these hygiene issues and enhance the safety and comfort of users. Using a human-centered approach, the study involves empathizing with users, defining parameters, ideating new designs, and analyze the flow of tap water to reduce splashing, which is the major concern for a hygienic ablution facility. A matrix evaluation process, which considers criteria such as user comfort, feasibility, and water splash reduction, is used to select the final design. The chosen design features two separate sinks: one for washing the face and hands, and another for washing the feet. This configuration minimizes water splashing and enhances hygiene with aims to fulfil We < 2000 and Re < l. The placement of the faucet especially for the lower sink is important, which should be within 400mm — 600mm off the ground. The depth is suggested to be between 150-200 mm, width of 400500 mm, length of 500-600mm with walls with a parabolic curve for smooth water flow. Drain Placement should be central with a slight slope towards the center. Ample space for foot washing will ensure efficient water drainage while minimizing water splashing in the ablution facility.