Virginia Tech's FutureHAUS unveils new bathroom in Las Vegas | News

A voice-controlled projector integrated into the shower shows videos on the glass wall separating the bathtub from the shower. The tub itself is a Kohler model that offers features that go well beyond the typical bathtub, including varying music tones that create a vibration-based cleaning effect similar to a sonic jewelry cleaner.

The toilet, also from Kohler, contains numerous features for hands-free operation, comfort, and sanitation including automated and heated seats, nighttime lighting, and an integrated bidet and a drier. It also uses an air filter to maintain a hygienic, odor free environment.

The bathroom is designed to be accessible and usable without compromise to people of all ages. In fact, as the team works to build the complete FutureHAUS, one floor of the two-story house will focus on universal design and the concept of “aging in place.”  

“You’re going to walk into this place and say “wow this house is cool,” and then you’re going to realize that it’s 100 percent ADA accessible.” Wheeler explained. “When a new house is designed, it should be designed to accommodate its owner for life.  No one should ever be forced to move out of their home because the architecture cannot accommodate an elderly or handicapped user.  Investment in an age-friendly home is not expensive if the concepts are integrated from the beginning.  It’s just smart planning. We are looking at the future of how we build and how we live.”

The FutureHAUS comprises a series of “cartridges,” including the bathroom and kitchen, that can be produced and wired within a factory, creating greater quality control and integration of technology and a much more efficient construction process. Transporting the bathroom across the country to Las Vegas demonstrates the ease and efficiency with which these cartridges can be delivered fully assembled to a job site.

During the 2015 fall semester, an interdisciplinary class including students from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering researched materials, appliances, and environmental factors. Based on their findings, the students contributed their ideas for the bathroom design. In addition, the students gained hands-on experience as they built the bathroom cartridge, and some will travel to Las Vegas for its debut.

Denis Gracanin, associate professor in the College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science, is leading the project with Wheeler. Both Wheeler and Gracanin were part of the team behind the LumenHAUS, which won the International Solar Decathlon competition in Madrid, Spain, and received a 2012 National AIA Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture.  They are also partnered with Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology and Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute as they pursue research in integrated technology and new materials for buildings of the future.