PREPACKAGED BATHROOMS CASE STUDY

Images courtesy of KOVA

Project: Modular Bath Unit
Location: Available nationwide

The Challenge: Bathrooms are widely accepted as one of the most challenging areas to deliver on budget and on time, particularly when there are multiple units needed as in hotel settings.

The Solution: Inherent in building design is the innate desire to refine, simplify, and optimize. The use of a prepackaged, modular bathroom kit is seen as a way to not only achieve this but also provide a smaller environmental footprint as well. Cross-collaborations between design professionals, product development specialists, specialty engineers, manufacturing teams, construction managers, and logistics specialists are key to achieving successful results. Some manufacturers now use this systems-level thinking to create a prepackaged, custom-designed bathroom in a creative container that includes everything needed to install a complete bathroom in less than a day. This includes a full suite of fixtures and finishes that can be customized to fit the design goals of a project. The kit is assembled in a factory and can use an innovative shipping cradle supported by the tub/shower surround, eliminating component damage and additional packing materials. This means that the toilet, vanity, flooring, and all the fixtures, finishes, and rough plumbing are placed and secured inside a tub/shower enclosure that is protected during shipping by the cradle. Then, each kit is shrink-wrapped and can be delivered directly to the site, where it will be installed in a project. Components are loaded into the container in the order of installation, setting up an efficient staging sequence for installation. This means all of the products and materials can be removed sequentially and installed directly into place.

The Results: Prepackaged bathrooms offer up to 35 percent cost savings in materials, labor, and loss. Precision design and manufacturing means less wasted material and time, while installation in less than a day by just two people also saves time. A higher level of advance organization and streamlined installation methods optimize labor on-site. Kits can be customized to meet design goals and specifications.

SPECIALTIES CASE STUDY

Photo courtesy of Etsy/Emily Andrews and ARCHITECTURAL GRILLE

Project: Etsy Headquarters
Location: Brooklyn, New York City
Architect: Gensler

The Project: Etsy envisioned its new global headquarters as an opportunity to instigate change, set a new standard for sustainable construction and design in a renovation project, and create a space that reflected its values, especially those related to community, craft, and sustainability. It approached each decision with careful consideration of the long-term health of both the project’s and the surrounding community’s ecosystem. Early on in the project, it became clear that Etsy’s aspirations to hold this project to the highest standards for sustainability aligned with the goals and imperatives of the Living Building Challenge (LBC), particularly those of the Materials Petal.

The Context: Sticking with its roots, Etsy decided to move a few blocks down the street from its former headquarters in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The building chosen was built in 1926, expanded in 1955, and housed the Jehovah’s Witness printing press until it was sold and converted into a mixed-use office/retail space in 2013. Prior to its renovation, the building already had many appealing features, including accessibility to public transportation and bike lanes, being outside the flood zone, potential for three distinct outdoor rooftop spaces, attractive floor-to-ceiling heights, ample access to daylight, and quality finished slab conditions. The building has a zero lot line, so there was no opportunity for landscaping on the project site beyond the green roofs constructed as part of the tenant fit out. Though not within the scope of this certification, all the rooftop landscaping followed the LBC requirements, using native plants that are well adapted to the local environment, creating a healthy habitat for insects, birds, moss, and ferns. All plants are supported by a rainwater collection system, and no commercial pesticides or fertilizer are used.

Materials Used: Etsy’s material-sourcing goals of conscientious reuse, radical transparency, nontoxic materials, and hyper-local purchasing positioned it well for pursuing the Materials Petal. The project team worked diligently to find compliant solutions to challenging product classes. As an example, the HVAC grille supplier worked with both construction crews and Gensler architects to research and supply HVAC grille covers that would comply with the stringent requirements and regulations of the LBC. The individuals involved were instrumental in researching the desired products and materials/ingredients to ensure that nothing was present on the Red List. The entire project team sought out LBC-compliant construction materials, ultimately vetting more than 1,500 materials for Red List, CDPH compliance, and ingredient disclosure. In all, the project incorporated 69 Declare labels representing 24 percent of the materials budget.

The Results: As the largest Petal Certified Living Building Challenge project to date, it proved that a project of this size could be completed with the support of artists, makers, and micro-businesses in addition to design and construction teams.