Roca The Gap SQUARE Rimless Toilet | Dual Outlet

When Geometry Becomes a Design Statement: The Case for Square Bathroom Sanitaryware

Bathroom design trends have followed a clear directional shift over the past two decades. The organic curves and rounded profiles that characterised bathroom sanitaryware through the late twentieth century have progressively given way to a more architectural sensibility — clean lines, right angles, flat planes, and geometric precision. This shift reflects a broader movement in interior design toward the vocabulary of architecture: spaces conceived not as collections of individual objects but as coherent volumetric compositions where every element contributes to a unified visual language.

In this context, the choice between a round and a square toilet is not a minor aesthetic preference. It is a decision about which design grammar the bathroom will speak. A rounded toilet bowl in a bathroom defined by rectangular tiles, angular cabinetry, and straight-edged mirrors creates a visual tension that trained eyes register as inconsistency. A square toilet bowl in the same space resolves that tension — the sanitaryware becomes part of the geometry rather than an exception to it.

The Roca The Gap SQUARE Rimless Toilet is engineered specifically for this design context. Its square-form bowl, flat-plane cistern, and architectural proportions make it the natural sanitaryware specification for contemporary bathrooms where geometric precision is the design objective. It combines this aesthetic purpose with substantive engineering — Rimless hygiene technology, dual-outlet versatility, Supralit® antibacterial seating, and a dual-flush system — to produce a toilet that is as functional as it is visually resolved.

Product Specifications

The SQUARE Design: What Square Geometry Delivers Beyond Aesthetics

The "SQUARE" designation in the product name refers to the bowl's geometric profile — a form characterised by straight sides, flat planes, and right-angle junctions rather than the elliptical curves of conventional toilet bowls. Understanding why this matters requires looking at both the aesthetic and the functional consequences of the choice.

Visual Coherence in the Modern Bathroom

Contemporary bathroom design is predominantly rectilinear. Wall tiles are typically rectangular, laid in grid or staggered patterns with straight grout lines. Vanity units are box-form with flat-front doors. Mirrors are rectangular. Shower enclosures are defined by straight glass panels in rectangular or square frames. Basin shapes increasingly follow angular profiles — rectangular countertop basins, square under-counter bowls.

In a bathroom constructed from these elements, a round or oval toilet bowl introduces a contrasting language. The eye reads the clash between the curved outline of the pan and the straight lines of everything else as a compositional inconsistency. In a professionally designed bathroom — or in a renovation where the owner is deliberately creating a coherent modern interior — this clash is precisely what the SQUARE design eliminates.

The Gap SQUARE bowl's straight-sided profile echoes the rectangular geometry of the surrounding elements. The flat plane of the cistern aligns visually with the flat faces of cabinetry. The right-angle relationship between the bowl and the cistern mirrors the right-angle relationships that define the room's architecture. The result is a bathroom where every component is speaking the same geometric language — which is the definition of a coherent design.

Proportions Designed for Contemporary Spaces

The Gap SQUARE's dimensions — 36.5 cm long × 65 cm wide × 79 cm high — reflect a proportioning decision that balances the angular aesthetic with practical spatial requirements. The 65 cm width is typical for the The Gap series and is a deliberate design choice that contributes to the toilet's substantial, architectural presence without making it visually dominant in smaller rooms. The 79 cm height is the standard comfort height that aligns with modern ergonomic preferences for adults — slightly higher than the older 40 cm standard, reducing the biomechanical effort of sitting and standing.

Rimless Technology in a Square Bowl: Hygiene Engineering Meets Geometric Design

The Gap SQUARE is a Rimless toilet — meaning it eliminates the traditional inner rim channel in favour of a directed-flow flush mechanism. The hygiene implications of this design decision are independent of the bowl's square geometry, but the combination of the two is significant.

Why Rimless Matters (A Structural Hygiene Problem Solved)

A conventional toilet bowl's inner rim is a hollow channel running around the perimeter of the bowl. Flush water is distributed through this channel and exits through angled holes around the circumference. The functional problem is that this hollow channel is physically inaccessible to standard cleaning implements — no toilet brush reaches inside it, no cleaning spray penetrates its full depth. Over time, the rim accumulates limescale, organic residue, and bacteria in a cavity that cannot be cleaned.

Independent microbiological studies of conventional toilet bowls have consistently identified the underside of the rim as among the most bacterially contaminated surfaces in a domestic bathroom — harbouring pathogens that routine surface cleaning cannot address because the geometry prevents access.

The Gap SQUARE's Rimless design removes this cavity entirely. The inner upper surface of the bowl is open and smooth — every surface is accessible to a standard brush and cleaning products. Water distribution is achieved via a precision-engineered internal distributor at the rear of the bowl that channels the flush water in an angled, controlled flow around the bowl surface. The flow pattern is designed to maximise coverage without splashing, achieving complete bowl coverage from a directed stream rather than a perimeter channel.

The Aesthetic Consequence of Rimless in a Square Bowl

Beyond hygiene, the Rimless profile has a specific visual consequence in a square bowl that is worth noting. The absence of the inner rim creates a cleaner, more resolved interior surface — there is no shadowed channel breaking the line of the bowl's inner wall. In a square bowl, where the interior geometry is itself more angular and defined than in a rounded bowl, this cleanliness of surface reads as a deliberately refined detail. The interior of the bowl is as geometrically intentional as the exterior — consistent with the overall design philosophy of the The Gap SQUARE series.

Dual Outlet: Horizontal and Vertical — True Installation Flexibility

One of the The Gap SQUARE's most practically significant features is its dual outlet bowl — designed to connect to either a horizontal (wall-mounted) drain or a vertical (floor-mounted) drain without modification to the bowl itself.

Why Outlet Compatibility Matters

In bathroom renovation projects — as opposed to new-build installations — the existing drain position is typically a fixed constraint. The cost of moving a floor drain or repositioning a wall outlet is substantial: it involves breaking up floor or wall structure, rerouting pipework, and making good the surfaces. In many renovation projects, particularly in older properties where the structural context makes rerouting difficult, the choice of toilet is effectively constrained by the existing drain position.

A toilet available only in horizontal outlet configuration cannot be installed where the existing drain exits through the floor. A toilet available only in vertical outlet configuration cannot be installed where the existing drain exits through the wall. Many toilet models are manufactured in one outlet configuration only, leaving renovators either to accept the cost of rerouting or to limit their choice to whatever models happen to match their drain configuration.

The Gap SQUARE's dual outlet bowl removes this constraint entirely. The bowl is engineered to work with both outlet configurations. The correct outlet is simply connected at installation — the other outlet is sealed. No bowl modification, no special adapter, no compromise in performance. The toilet you choose on design and functional grounds can actually be installed in your bathroom, regardless of whether your drain exits through the floor or the wall.

Practical Implications for Renovation Projects

For a bathroom specifier or renovator, dual outlet compatibility changes the decision process fundamentally. Rather than beginning by identifying which toilets are available in the correct outlet configuration and then choosing within that constrained set, the designer begins from functional and aesthetic criteria and verifies outlet compatibility only as a final confirmation step. In the majority of European domestic renovation contexts, the Gap SQUARE will be compatible.

This is a technically straightforward feature to describe but a practically significant one to own. Renovators who have encountered the frustration of finding the toilet they wanted available only in the wrong outlet configuration — and faced with either accepting a second-choice product or absorbing the cost of drain relocation — understand exactly why dual outlet compatibility matters.

Supralit® Antibacterial Seat and Lid: Material Science in the Most-Touched Surface

While the bowl and cistern of the Gap SQUARE are constructed from vitreous porcelain, the seat and lid are manufactured from Supralit® — a proprietary antibacterial thermoplastic material that is standard across Roca's premium toilet seat specifications.

What Supralit® Is and Why It Matters

Supralit® is a high-density, duroplastic material (a thermoset resin) that is distinct in both composition and performance from the lower-grade polypropylene (PP) used in standard toilet seats. The material differences translate into meaningful practical differences:

Antibacterial properties: Supralit® incorporates an antibacterial additive integrated into the material itself — not applied as a surface coating. This means the antibacterial properties are present throughout the material thickness and cannot be worn away by cleaning or use. Standard PP seats may carry antibacterial surface treatments that degrade over time; Supralit®'s protection is intrinsic to the material structure.

Surface hardness and chemical resistance: Supralit® is significantly harder than polypropylene and more resistant to the chemical attack of cleaning agents. Where PP seats can be marked by bleach-based cleaners, yellowed by UV exposure, or softened by prolonged contact with disinfectants, Supralit® maintains its surface integrity under repeated professional-level cleaning.

Dimensional stability: Supralit® has lower thermal expansion than polypropylene, meaning the seat maintains its fit to the bowl across the temperature range of normal bathroom use. PP seats in poorly thermostatted bathrooms can expand and contract enough to create looseness in the hinge fitting over time. Supralit® seats maintain tighter dimensional consistency.

Surface finish retention: The smooth surface of a Supralit® seat resists the micro-abrasion from daily use and cleaning that causes PP seats to develop a dulled, slightly rough surface texture over years of use. A Supralit® seat in normal domestic use will retain its smooth, cleanable surface quality for the operational lifetime of the toilet.

Stainless Steel Hinges: The Detail That Protects the Material

The seat is fitted with stainless steel hinges — a specification that reinforces the longevity commitment of the Supralit® material choice. Toilet seat hinges are subjected to thousands of open-close cycles over a product's operational lifetime, and to the wet, chemically active environment of a bathroom. Standard plastic or zinc-alloy hinges in this environment will corrode, weaken, and eventually fracture — creating the loose, wobbly seat that is one of the most common bathroom maintenance complaints.

Stainless steel hinges are corrosion-proof in bathroom conditions and rated for the mechanical load of normal seat use without fatigue failure over the product's lifetime. The combination of Supralit® seat material and stainless steel hinges ensures that the most-touched, most-opened component of the toilet is built to the same longevity standard as the porcelain bowl.

Dual-Flush System: 3L / 4.5L Water Efficiency

The Gap SQUARE cistern operates a dual-flush mechanism offering 3 litres for liquid waste and 4.5 litres for solid waste. This flush specification reflects contemporary European water efficiency standards and delivers meaningful water consumption reduction compared to older single-flush designs.

A household of four people averaging five toilet uses per person per day — with approximately 75% as reduced flushes and 25% as full flushes — will consume approximately 30–33 litres of water per day in toilet flushing with the Gap SQUARE's dual-flush. The equivalent consumption with a 9-litre single-flush toilet is 180 litres per day. The annual saving is approximately 54,000 litres — a figure that is meaningful for both household water costs and environmental footprint, particularly in regions where water costs are metered.

Cistern Inlet Options: Bottom or Side

The Gap SQUARE cistern is available in two inlet configurations:

Bottom inlet (left outlet) (SKU A341470000): The water supply hose connects at the base of the cistern. This is the standard configuration for modern bathroom rough-in plumbing and the most common choice in new-build and recent renovation contexts. The bottom inlet keeps the supply connection concealed below the cistern, producing a cleaner visual result with no visible pipe connection at the side of the cistern body.

Side inlet (SKU A341471000): The water supply connects at the side of the cistern, with a chrome trim piece covering the unused bottom outlet for a finished appearance. This configuration is appropriate where the existing supply pipework exits the wall at a height that is more naturally aligned with a side cistern connection — common in older properties where bathroom plumbing was designed for side-inlet cisterns and where rerouting the supply to a bottom-inlet position would add unnecessary installation cost.

The availability of both configurations means the Gap SQUARE can be installed without supply rerouting in the vast majority of existing bathrooms, whether the plumbing is recent or decades old.

Seat Options: Standard vs. Soft-Close

The Gap SQUARE seat is available in two closing mechanism configurations:

Standard seat and lid (SKU A80147000B): Manual closing, rests under its own weight. Entirely appropriate for most applications and the more economical option. No moving parts to wear or adjust.

Soft-close seat and lid (SKU A80147200B): Hydraulic damper in the hinge slows the seat and lid's descent from vertical, preventing slam contact with the bowl rim. Benefits are practical across all household contexts: reduced acoustic impact (particularly relevant in shared accommodation or at night), reduced impact stress on the bowl rim over the product's operational life, and greater safety for young children in the household who may be learning independent toilet use.

The soft-close mechanism is a meaningful quality-of-life upgrade for households where the standard seat's closing sound is a consideration — and a maintenance investment, since the reduced impact extends the service life of both the seat and the bowl rim.

Installation Overview

The Gap SQUARE is a floor-standing toilet with the dual outlet flexibility described above. Installation covers three main connection points:

Bowl to drain: Connect the appropriate outlet (horizontal or vertical) to the existing drain connection. The bowl is secured to the floor using the supplied fixing kit, with trim pieces covering the floor-level fixings for a clean finish.

Cistern to bowl: The low cistern sits on the rear platform of the bowl. The cistern-to-bowl connection is made via the flush valve and the cistern-to-bowl gasket, ensuring a watertight seal at the joint. The flush actuator (dual push-button) is fitted to the cistern front face.

Water supply to cistern: Connect the supply flexible hose to either the bottom or side inlet of the chosen cistern configuration. Ensure the supply is isolated before beginning. Apply PTFE tape to the inlet thread and verify for leaks at operating pressure before completing the installation.

⚠️ Installation must be performed by a qualified plumber in compliance with local building and plumbing regulations. Where the bathroom is in a multi-occupancy building, verify that the drain connection is compatible with the building's stack system before finalising outlet orientation.

The Gap SQUARE in Context: Coordinating with the Wider The Gap Collection

The Gap SQUARE toilet does not exist in isolation — it is part of Roca's The Gap collection, a comprehensive bathroom series that applies the same architectural square geometry across multiple product categories. This coordination matters because a bathroom where sanitaryware, basins, and accessory profiles share a consistent geometric language achieves a level of visual coherence that mixing products from different series cannot replicate.

Within The Gap collection, complementary products include wall-hung versions of the same SQUARE bowl (for bathrooms where the wall-mounted format is preferable), The Gap SQUARE wash basins in countertop and under-counter configurations, and associated brassware and accessories designed to the same proportional system. Specifying across the collection creates a bathroom where the toilet, the basin, and the bath or shower enclosure all speak the same geometric vocabulary — the hallmark of a designed space rather than an assembled one.

Roca: A Century of Bathroom Engineering

Roca was founded in 1917 and has grown over more than a century into one of the world's largest bathroom product manufacturers, present in over 130 countries with a global workforce approaching 24,000 people. For products like the Gap SQUARE, this heritage translates into:

Porcelain quality: Roca's vitreous china firing and glazing processes produce surfaces with the density, gloss retention, and stain resistance that distinguish premium sanitaryware from commodity production. The porcelain surface of the Gap SQUARE bowl is engineered to maintain its surface quality across decades of daily use.

Engineering precision: The Rimless internal distributor geometry, the dual outlet configuration, and the dual-flush mechanism are engineered components with verifiable performance characteristics — not marketing descriptions of generic features. Roca's investment in testing and quality assurance at production means these performance claims are backed by documented evidence.

Warranty confidence: The 3-year warranty on the Gap SQUARE is backed by a manufacturer with a global service infrastructure and a century-long established reputation. For the consumer, this means accessible warranty support and a manufacturer with every incentive to resolve any defect claim efficiently to protect a brand built over a century.

Summary: Is the Roca The Gap SQUARE the Right Toilet for Your Bathroom?

The Roca The Gap SQUARE Rimless Toilet is the right choice if you need:

✅ Square (SQUARE) geometric design — architectural straight-sided bowl that integrates naturally into contemporary bathrooms with rectilinear tile, cabinetry, and fixture profiles
✅ Rimless hygiene technology — eliminates the hidden inner rim cavity where bacteria accumulate in conventional designs, enabling complete cleaning of every bowl surface
✅ Dual outlet (horizontal + vertical) — connects to either wall or floor drain without bowl modification, providing true installation flexibility for renovation and new-build contexts
✅ Supralit® antibacterial seat and lid — superior to standard PP in antibacterial protection, surface hardness, chemical resistance, and long-term finish retention
✅ Stainless steel hinges — corrosion-proof in bathroom conditions, rated for the mechanical load of thousands of open-close cycles
✅ Dual-flush system (3L / 4.5L) — significant water consumption reduction versus older single-flush designs
✅ Two cistern inlet options — bottom or side inlet configuration to match existing supply plumbing without rerouting
✅ Two seat options — standard lid or soft-close, depending on household preference and budget
✅ 3-year warranty from Roca, a globally established manufacturer with over 100 years of bathroom product experience
✅ Part of The Gap collection — coordinated with matching SQUARE basins, wall-hung toilet versions, and accessories for complete bathroom design coherence

💡 Design tip: If you are specifying the Gap SQUARE as part of a full bathroom renovation, review the complete The Gap collection before finalising your basin and accessory selections. Coordinating across the series — bowl, basin, accessories — using the same SQUARE geometric vocabulary will produce a significantly more resolved visual result than mixing profiles from different collections.