This design for a mass-producible, one-piece bathroom was part of the 4-D House design of 1927. The prototype was an enclosed, air-conditioned module made mostly of metal, with the bath-tub compartment and the washbasin and toilet compartment altogether taking up a floor space of 5ft x 5ft.
A copper version was developed in 1936 but not commercially produced (see Hatch and Dymaxion World).
In his 1981 book "Critical Path", Fuller reported that a glassfibre-reinforced- polyester-resin version of his bathroom was being mass-produced in what was then West Germany. He looked upon this as confirmation of his notion of a half-century gestation period for home improvements.
(See Sanitation.)
© Paul Taylor 2001