Designing and retrofitting restrooms

by Katie Daniel | June 29, 2016 3:26 pm

by Bill Bridgeman
Upgrading older facilities with modern restroom fixtures and amenities can update much-needed aesthetics, maintenance, and safety reliefs. Designing with accessibility in mind can do more than provide easier-to-use spaces for the elderly and disabled—it provides comfort for everyone. Both required and non-required barrier-free details such as raised-height toilets, grab bars, and improved lighting can benefit users of all ages, agilities, and abilities.

Universal design is simply good design. At its core, it makes moving through the space easy for any user, whether elderly, a young child, or a healthy adult with few limitations.

Universal design is characterized in many ways. For example it could include:

• a light switch located in a spot where anyone can access it;
• a large bottom rail on a front door allowing easy access to enter and exit; or
• a toe kick in the kitchen enabling easy wheelchair access.

These are all important design features that, when included correctly, do not affect anyone’s use of the space, but rather makes functionality easier.

Applying industry guidelines and standards by the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is important to designing in this fashion correctly. In addition, local and state codes provide requirements to guide design and construction.

Working it out at the gym
When Healthquest, an upscale gym in Flemington, New Jersey, began remodeling its locker rooms, the company had specific requirements in mind. The new showers had to complement the high-end design of the fitness center and offer low maintenance, while eliminating potential water penetration issues in grout and tile areas. Previous leakage from products, such as water getting in behind wall tile, left the Healthquest owners hoping for a better solution. John Mannino, Associate AIA (Cerminara Architect), was chosen to manage the project.

The project scope included replacing all the showers in the women’s, men’s, and family locker rooms. Eliminating leakage and addressing any existing water containment issues was of high importance to Faith Cust, Healthquest’s executive director of operations. The original units allowed water to seep in behind the wall, leading to damage in all the locker rooms. The executive director was especially leery about the use of tile, due to previous issues with the product.

Mannino and his team considered all the materials they had worked with in the past and evaluated them in conjunction with the requirements of the Healthquest project. However, nothing they previously used would suffice both functionally and aesthetically.

To solve this problem, the team began looking at single-unit showers. Unlike other showers with seams that can expose areas for water seepage, these modular units are complete in themselves, with the floors and walls molded together. Additionally, extra colors and the ability to customize the showers made them more appealing for the project.

“Most showers are white, almond, or bisque. These showers offered other options that look like granite or solid surface,” adds Mannino.

The tile-recess options were pursued because they offered a high-end aesthetic without the potential of leaking.

At the end of construction, the team had added 24 standard showers, six accessible showers, and a larger shower in the family locker room. The accessible showers included barrier-free access, support rails, and benches. The overall result met the gym’s objective—to provide a safe, appealing bathing solution for all members.

Keeping patients safe
The Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) is a facility in Idaho Falls providing care to individuals at risk of harming themselves. The existing showers were a potential hazard to client safety. It was necessary to undertake a complete retrofit and remodel to eliminate potential hazards to patients.

Every part of the shower was analyzed to identify items and fixtures that could be used to cause self-harm. The team focused on anything that could be possibly used improperly—particularly because patients are unsupervised for substantial amounts of time in the bathroom.

Along with this principal goal, the team also had to consider the maintenance of the showers. The previous units shed water into the main area of the bathroom, so it was important any replacement option improve water containment. Finally, because of the small space and the retrofit application, a multipiece solution was necessary. This included a base, walls, and dome ceiling that meant quick and easy installation.

The result was an easy-to-install, low-maintenance, cost-effective, and—most importantly—safe solution. This new composite shower design, composed of a gel coat, barrier coat, fiberglass, and wood backing, eliminated troublesome drywall that required constant repair. The outside wall of the unit is sandwiched together—the same material used on the inside of the shower is also on the outside. Mud-setting the shower pan was not required, and allowed a fast and smooth installation.

The showers also feature an antiligature design—one of the most important aspects of the space. The showerhead is inset, allowing it to be flush to the dome ceiling, the light emitting diode (LED) light is capped in the ceiling, and the curtain rod features antiligature clips—every surface is smooth and nothing can be wrapped around any shower features. Additionally, the shower’s 45-degree opening has a low hanging curtain to contain water inside the shower.

The showers are easy to clean, saving time, improving longevity, and avoiding many of the maintenance issues that were plaguing the previous shower systems. Most importantly, the new smooth-surface showers provide a more safe environment for patients, and as a result, greater peace of mind for loved ones and hospital staff.

Honoring history
Changes in standard sizing and new accessibility and code requirements can make it challenging to incorporate today’s products into older spaces. Code requirements—which tend to become more stringent with each new version—represent the first hurdle. ANSI standards in particular can be difficult to maneuver because different areas around the country use varying standards. For example, New Jersey might follow a 2003 edition of an ANSI standard, while another state may have adopted a more up-to-date version.

Sizes in products have also changed, which means older bathing products, and the spaces in which they were installed, do not necessarily match the product sizes available today. For example, a tub being removed from a historic space could measure 1422 mm (56 in.) wide, but the new standard is 1524 mm (60 in.).

These issues are in addition to the typical labor challenges of retrofit projects. Demolition of existing materials can be a major problem in historic facilities. For example, concrete, one of the more common materials in older buildings, affects how old tubs are removed and how new products are installed.

The Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine, experienced this challenge with concrete first-hand when it decided to retrofit two residential facilities, Stella Maris House and St. Xavier’s Home.

As part of a large renovation project at the Stella Maris House, a 48-unit low-income housing complex for seniors in Rockland, all the bathrooms were refinished, including the replacement of bathtubs with shower units. The existing bathroom’s precast concrete floors posed the team’s first challenge. The drains had been placed in the concrete and could not be moved to change the orientation of the new shower. Therefore, architect Richard Curtis and his team chose a shower unit with a drain that could be placed in any location on the shower floor.

Focusing on the strength of the shower floor was another important aspect when retrofitting the Stella Maris bathrooms.

“You don’t want to have just a fiberglass floor that can crack. You need a solid floor that will withstand weight and use,” Curtis said.

The floors chosen in the project included a wood core encased in composite, making it solid and sturdy.

Shower units were also specified to fit into the existing bathtubs’1.5-m x 762-mm (5-ft x 30-in.) footprint. The multipiece tubs allowed installers to bring the shower system in pieces—a necessity due to the small size of the bathrooms.

Additionally, the shower systems were designed to be leak-free and feature quick and easy installation. The managers at Stella Maris did not have to worry about water escaping showers and posing risks to their residents’ safety.

This project proved the ability to customize products and solutions is essential for retrofitting existing structures. Further, it allows architects and remodelers to meet the needs of any end user.

Comfort in tight spots
Space was the biggest challenge during the bathroom retrofit at St. Xavier’s Home in Bangor, Maine. The team’s goal was to upgrade all bathroom units to meet current ADA guidelines.

The bathrooms in the residence were not big enough to accommodate someone with a disability. Therefore, the toilet and sink had to be relocated for more space, and shower units needed to replace the tubs.

The team chose a specific multipiece shower solution for several reasons, including the size and ability of the systems to fit through tight door spaces. Another important consideration was the presence of grab bars, which are essential for residents. An additional bonus for the team was the position of the drain. It could remain in the same spot as the previous shower, saving time and money.

The shower system eliminated installation challenges presented by the concrete walls and floors—as its built-in plywood backing simplified installation, and allowed precise grab bar placement for each user.

Meeting needs while also exceeding expectations
Meeting the primary needs in all of these facilities was important to everyone involved. By working together with engineers, ideal solutions were easily installed that are up to current code standards and improve the safety of all users without a major remodel of the buildings’ structure.

Whether it is a fitness center, health center, assisted living facility, or another commercial project, accessible design provides easier use of the space for all who enter. Spreading the word that bath accessibility is not just for a specific group of individuals, but can benefit society as a whole, will assist designers with creating better spaces. While codes can be a challenge, teamwork can lead to the creation of beautiful custom solutions.

Bill Bridgeman is Bestbath’s vice president for North American commercial sales, and has almost 30 years of professional sales and executive management experience. His background includes managing U.S. and international sales teams, the development and training of resellers and strategic alliance networks, and the diplomatic and rapid resolution of complex proprietary business, legal, and regulatory issues. Bridgeman earned an MBA from Regis University, dual Bachelor of Science degrees from Linfield College in economics and business, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification from Vanderbilt University. He can be reached via e-mail at william.bridgeman@bestbath.com[1].

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/designing-and-retrofitting-restrooms/

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