The Guggenheim bathroom

If you've ever been to the Guggenheim Museum in New York, you know that it's a fascinating work by renown architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, famous for Fallingwater and other unique buildings and the Prairie school of architecture.  He is also someone whose work flies in the face of "form follows function," as evidenced by the Guggenheim restrooms.

The building itself is composed of a coiled walkway where you start at the top and wind your way back down to the bottom with exhibits both on the walls of the "corkscrew" and also in side galleries.  Because of the intersecting circles of this design, the only available space for the restroom is between the intersection of 2 of these circles, essentially a narrow football shape.  The unfortunate result of this is that the toilet is wedged into the far corner of this football and, for anyone older than 4, that you have to sit "side saddled" on the toilet because there isn't enough room for your legs to be out in front of you.  For most folks, this would be "incondusive" to accomplishing the task at hand because your spine is torqued into the unnatural position that you've only experienced once or twice before at your high school yearbook photo session or the Sears Portrait Studio or if you've ever had seats in the mezzanine at the New Amsterdam Theater in NYC.  The only fortunate difference is that you don't have to smile or applaud on the Guggenheim toilet...unless...well, never mind. 

It's also problematic for anyone who is claustrophobic because the wall is literally a foot and a half from your face which gives the impression that you are "evacuating" in a coffin which, let's face it, falls under "things we never thought we'd have to do."  Unless...well...never mind.