Appealing and Long-Lasting Hospitality and Retail Design
ELEGANT SPECIALTIES
While the square footage used by restrooms in hospitality and retail settings are not thought of as “revenue generating,” they go a long way in aiding or detracting from the intended experience of the establishment, building loyalty, aiding in customer retention, improving word-of-mouth marketing, and attracting new customers. At the big picture level, all of these factors do in fact generate revenue and even margins. Leon Shakeshaft, architect and partner, Arthur Gibney & Partners, Dublin, Ireland, has reinforced this, observing, “Last year, I had the pleasure of having a private tour of one of New York’s landmark office buildings. As I appreciated the architecture and the thought that went into the details of the building, I found a lack of harmony between the design choices in the bathrooms when compared to the rest of the building. At our firm, we recognize that all things being equal, the quality of bathrooms can be the differentiating factor when our clients seek to attract tenants. Good bathroom design does not have to cost more, but it pays great dividends.”
Inherent in the total design of a restroom, is attention to all the details of the materials used, the type and location of accessories, and the overall interior design scheme. In order to create a complete, coordinated effect, it is important for an architect to have different material product choices from the same building product manufacturer so that they can have a full palette of products to create their design. Such an integrated design of products means they more easily work in concert with the architect’s overall design intent by either blending in our standing out. The resulting look created in restrooms can thus exude a sense of high-end luxury, without a luxury price. More importantly, a coordinated, elegant design speaks to how much the establishment cares about its customers beyond the revenue they bring in.
One place this difference can be seen is in the products used for toilet stall partitions. Taller partitions with increased privacy and removal of sight lines offers a more appealing situation for many users. Similarly, a variety of materials can be used, such as phenolic partitions, which offer a variety of colors and patterns creating an enhanced, more elegant look, or metal partitions with integrated privacy systems built into them.
Photo courtesy of ASI Group
The coordinated selection of materials and finishes in restrooms, including the toilet stalls, can add a level of design excellence and elegance.
Cyrus Boatwalla of ASI Group has observed the trends in design and notes that, “A disconnect exists, at times, between how well a bathroom is designed when juxtaposed against the amazing structural designs, building envelopes, and curated appointments that are synonymous with modern buildings. The more beautifully a building is designed, if there is a lack of connection between the quality of materials and design elements in the washroom, it stands out even more. This can and will take away from the impact that the designers of the building intended to create. With a little more thought and assistance from manufacturers of washroom products, building owners can have access to a variety of choices that can connect those spaces and help them complete the intended impact.”
RESTROOM PROJECT EXAMPLE 1
Photo courtesy of Geberit
Project: Hotel Julian
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Design: Gettys Group
The Project: The 218-room, 17-story Hotel Julian is located on Chicago’s high-profile Michigan Avenue. Though only 50 feet wide, the hotel has a monumental street presence, bringing a new brand of chic boutique luxury to what was once a dilapidated bank building.
The Renovation Challenge: The Atlantic Bank Building, originally constructed in 1912, sat vacant for years and the interior was in poor condition. “We needed to utilize maximum space in each room to accommodate the modern conveniences demanded by hotel guests,” says Nawar Telche, director of engineering, Hotel Julian. “This included making the restrooms comfortable and as large as possible. We also needed a toilet for our guests that flushed quietly, in a way that a floor-mounted, exposed-tank toilet may not be able to.”
The Solution: The Hotel Julian met the challenges of bathroom space, style, luxury, and water savings by installing over 218 in-wall toilet systems with dual-flush actuators and matching white wall-hung toilets. The designers chose the system because of its water-saving quiet flush, easy installation, and concealment in the hotel’s new 2x6 walls.
With the sanitary technology hidden, the bathroom looks spacious, with a modern, high-end finish. The in-wall systems help increase bathroom hygiene by greatly simplifying cleaning. Concealed tanks and wall-hung toilets have fewer edges, joints, and corners and an open floor space when the toilet is kept off the floor so dirt and bacteria can’t hide.
The Results: The narrow, yet luxurious, Hotel Julian, named for the patron saint of travelers, is now an architectural highlight, one of the gems of the Millennium Park area near Chicago’s world-famous Michigan Avenue.
RESTROOM PROJECT EXAMPLE 2
Photo courtesy of ASI Group
Project: Hotel X
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Architect: Stephen B. Jacobs Group P.C.
The Project: Hotel X Toronto was designed by Stephen B. Jacobs Group P.C. to embrace all the wonderful flavors of the globe. “It was imperative that every aspect of Hotel X contribute to providing guests with an unparalleled hospitality experience,” said Stephen B. Jacobs, FAIA, president and founder of Stephen B. Jacobs Group P.C. Every detail was carefully selected to offer guests a modern, luxurious experience that encapsulates authentic hospitality and embraces the hotel’s historic and iconic location on 192 acres of city parkland in the heart of Toronto’s Exhibition Grounds.
The Washroom Design: “To convey our design inspiration within the hotel’s washrooms, we envisioned an elegant European look that ensured as much privacy as it did design impact. Working together with the manufacturer, we created a completely unique design that is atypical in North America,” said Jacobs.
Hotel X’s sophisticated washrooms showcase luxury, with deep partitions surrounded by towering solid surface doors, panels, and pilasters that extend from within inches above the floor to nearly touching the ceiling. The panels, doors, and pilasters, made from 13- millimeter phenolic, and robust aluminum headrails (powder coated in black) provide durability to the elegant structure. Hardware and pedestals made from stainless steel stand out just enough to add the right touch of flair.
The Results: The stunning washrooms complement the upscale, tailored design of Hotel X, welcoming discerning guests to the bespoke experience of sophisticated luxury.
SOLID-SURFACE SHOWER PROJECTS
Photo courtesy of Inpro
Solid-surface materials are used in guest room showers at the LondonHouse Hotel in Chicago. They can be fabricated in advance to meet project requirements.
Solid-surface shower enclosures have become popular, particularly in hospitality settings, because they offer aesthetic design options in addition to the practical performance aspects of them. They are available in a range of colors and patterns to blend with a variety of interior design concepts. By selecting large sized sheets, there are fewer seams, which means less cutting, less waste, and less cost, in addition to the hygienic benefit. The material is typically nonporous, too, which means it does not support the growth of mold, mildew, or bacteria.
In the interest of simplifying the design of guest room shower stalls, there are fully prepared and assembled shower stalls available that can meet specific project requirements and meet ADA or accessibility code requirements where needed. Some of the preferred stalls use solid-surface panels as a shower enclosure and a solid shower base. As a material, solid surface offers a great alternative to tile, with no grout required which can trap mold and mildew. Where grout cracks or falls out, there is risk of water getting behind the tile leading to tiles failing or moisture seeping into the substrate. Further, installation of solid-surface shower surrounds can be finished in one-third the time of traditional tile.
Conclusion
Retail and hospitality buildings are perceived by customers, business owners, and the public based on how well they are designed. Architects who pay attention to the details of the key areas of the exterior, interior, and restrooms can create the most well-received designs that will have building owners seeking them out for repeat work.
Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED-AP is a nationally known architect, consultant, continuing education presenter, and a prolific author advancing building performance through better designwww.pjaarch.com, www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch