Medical practices, healthcare institutions, and hospitals face a wide range of challenges when it comes to accessible bathroom design. Duravit has come up with solutions which meets requirements and norms without sacrificing design…
There are bathroom solutions which need to be barrier-free with adequate space for wheelchair users, for people who use walking frames, and carers who need to be able to always access their patients from all sides and to ensure their safety. At the same time, prescribed minimum sizes and DIN norms need to be met, yet this doesn’t need to be at the expense of appealing design, which is just as important in these applications as it is in private bathrooms.
Image credit: Duravit
Duravit offers four design options for the washing area to enable the bathroom or the facilities within the medical practice to be designed with everyone’s comfort in mind. DCode, DuraStyle, Architec, and Starck 3 all have options which meet current DIN standards 18024/II and 18025/I+II for barrier free bathrooms and are wheelchair-accessible.
In terms of the requirements in the healthcare sector, Duravit supplies special models without an overflow and without a tap hole, offering optimum hygiene. The washbasins of the series DuraStyle and Starck 3 are available with baked-in, easy-to-clean WonderGliss coating. Starck 3 Vital is the perfect solution for barrier-free bathrooms with adequate space for wheelchair users and people who use walking frames.
The range also includes toilets to match the barrier-free washbasins. These Vital models also optionally come with the innovative HygieneGlaze ceramic glaze, which has an antibacterial effect which inhibits bacterial growth. The projection on the barrier-free toilets is 700 mm and enables ease of transfer and independent use to the greatest possible extent pursuant to DIN 18040. Fold-out grab bars that are firmly fixed in position and that have an integrated toilet-paper holder are recommended as transfer devices. These are available separately from specialist retailers. Patients can hold on to them and pull themselves up as need be, enabling them to actively assist or go to the toilet as independently as possible. Sufficient room for manoeuvre in front of the toilet ensures safety as well as comfort for the care staff.
Image credit: Duravit
A shower tray that is flush with the floor is not just a perfect solution in terms of looks, it is easy to clean and helps to prevent falls. Shower trays with dimensions 120 x 120 cm meet the criteria of DIN 18025/I + II and 18040-2E for barrier-free bathrooms and offer sufficient room for manoeuvre for everyone involved. The Stonetto shower tray made from robust and antislip DuraSolid Q achieves class B slip resistance and is suitable for barrier-free installation pursuant to DIN 18040. The flush-mounted shower trays meet the criteria of the standards 18025-1, 18025-2 and 18040-2E for wheelchair users. The optional “Antislip” coating is available for the acrylic shower trays of the Tempano series.
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Main image credit: Duravit
