Taking Sustainable Washroom Design Beyond LEED

Capturing the Full Benefits of ‘Green’ in Washroom Partition and Accessory Materials Selections
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Sponsored by ASI Group
Amanda Voss, MPP
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There is No Sustainability Without Maintainability or Design Sensibility

Sustainability is not just about scoring Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)® points. It reaches beyond accomplishing certifications. It is about building projects that have longer lifecycles, thereby preventing products from ending up in a landfill prematurely. Longer lifecycles come from choosing the right products (not just materials however) for the right applications. Making this decision—charting a sustainable project lifetime—means anticipating all the effects of the washroom’s environment, hard use, heavy abuse, or superficial maintenance. This requires evaluating the many dimensions of partitions and accessories beyond basic LEED Criteria, including: additional green features, maintainability, durability, initial and total lifecycle cost, and aesthetics. Understanding the full range of available product options leads to better material and component selection for the client. It also has implications for the life of the building.

While there are a number of critical sustainability issues in washroom design, the concept of maintenance takes priority.

One of the least understood basics of sustainable design is maintainability. Things must be taken care of in order to enable them to provide a long, useful life. Things that aren’t taken care of, or are hard to take care of, are neglected, deteriorate, and are thrown out. The most environmentally appropriate product, placed in the wrong setting, will suffer an abbreviated lifecycle, negatively impacting the client’s bottom line and adding unnecessarily to a landfill. Even with the most vandal-resistant fixtures, an unsupervised or poorly cared for facility will eventually become sub-standard. Facility engineers and cleaners play an important role, and their efforts will result in well-maintained washrooms.

Selecting appropriate materials by gauging what practical maintenance looks like and by estimating real conditions is vital to maximizing the successful life of a product in place.

Unfortunately, maintenance is a factor not often considered as part of the design professional’s responsibility. Nevertheless, to create a truly sustainable project, cleaning maintenance and system maintenance must both be understood and communicated to the project’s owner. Maintenance should take first priority, not last. That means that they must be anticipated from the standpoint of the design itself. Design professionals must become familiar with maintenance procedures and appropriate care of materials if they are to protect their designs and create truly sustainable projects.

In a sustainable washroom, the ability to maintain products and systems must be designed into and accommodated by the layout. In this way, design sensibility and maintenance complement each other. A washroom’s design helps or hinders its sustainability. By creating facilities that are accessible, can be readily cleaned, and spaces which can withstand predicted use, a designer will not only facilitate required maintenance, but also will ensure that the project elements work together to maximize the serviceable life of the design. Making sure a space can be easily accessed and easily cleaned is a pivotal checkpoint for washroom design.

Materials and systems must be maintained to be sustainable. It is essential, therefore, to understand how to select materials and systems to ensure proper maintenance.

Carefully selected, durable materials minimize maintenance and prevent premature deterioration and misuse. The selection of appropriate products and systems will have a significant impact on the lifecycle and sustainability of the project. Material selection considerably impacts the ability to successfully maintain facilities. While sustainability involves much more than just materials, materials are a key element of sustainable design.

Each commonly used partition material has benefits and limitations when it comes to maintenance, durability, and design. Cost is often a controlling factor in material selection. Factors such as wet area suitability, ease of maintenance, warranty, style, and source area, also play a part in the final decision. Weighing costs against maintenance is particularly necessary in product selection. Long-term maintainability may mean higher initial costs, but prove the most cost-effective over the long-term. However, in a project that anticipates remodeling every 3 to 5 years, selecting a more expensive product may not make sense. Lower cost materials can be successful and sustainable if they receive consistent maintenance. Although higher cost materials can minimize certain levels of maintenance, they still need to be taken care of.

Lifecycle cost analysis is useful for guiding these decisions. By understanding the full range of materials available, the designer can better adapt the washroom design and pick aesthetic notes for maximum life and service.

The appropriate selection of materials for the application has a definite impact on overall sustainability.

Photo courtesy of The ASI Group

The appropriate selection of materials for the application has a definite impact on overall sustainability.

 

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Originally published in Architectural Record
Originally published in August 2015

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