For any business fitting out a building with new washrooms, getting the right equipment for every circumstance is absolutely essential. In some cases, the requirements may be obvious, but in other instances, a little more thought may be given.
Indeed, those ordering in bulk may have different needs in various washrooms, which means the total order of equipment needs to be calibrated on multiple levels for a wider range of users and with other considerations taken into account.
A good example of this will be a large new project that might produce a variety of different facilities in one vicinity, or even under one roof, each of which may involve different needs.
A Project With Contrasting Washroom Needs
To take one current example, Oxford United Football Club is on the verge of getting planning permission to build a new stadium at a site in Kidlington, just north of the city, following a Cherwell Council report recommending that the scheme go ahead.
For a football ground, the needs of users are clear: For most fans, the washrooms are a simple and functional place requiring a lot of urinal capacity in the men’s facilities (this can be provided by lengthy steel urinals), with the space needing to cope with being very crowded at certain times, such as half-time and just after a game ends.
At the same time, there will need to be substantial female toilets as more women attend matches than was once the case, as well as enough disabled toilets to meet the number of disabled fans attending, featuring wider doors and grab rails, which the number of these determined by guidance on how many spaces are required in line with venue capacity.
At the same time, you will need to take into account the unfortunate reality that, like many public toilets, vandalism may be a problem. This means your toilet cubicle doors and other equipment need to be as vandal-proof as possible.
In the case of the Kidlington development, it is not just a new football ground that is proposed. This means some quite different facilities will be required for the other parts, which will include a 180-bedroom hotel, plus a conference and exhibition centre.
The Difference Between Luxury And Utility
Hotel toilets and washrooms are, by nature, very different indeed from those found at a football ground.
Although there may be publicly accessible facilities in the reception and lobby area, a good hotel can pride itself on high-quality en-suite facilities, which will include showering and bathing, not something anyone will seek at a football match. Nor will these always be used in a hurry.
This contrast between the functional and the luxury in adjacent buildings may be somewhat bridged by the conference and exhibition centre. These will not need showering and bath facilities, and, like a football match, those attending a conference will see the washrooms as a necessary functional facility.
However, a higher standard of aesthetics may be more appropriate for a conference centre, while at the same time, vandal-proof fixtures and fittings will not be a high priority.
These contrasting examples of the different needs of the various parts of the proposed Kidlington development reflect the need to consider carefully what you require when making bulk orders for fitting out new buildings.
In many cases, the differences are obvious and not all the purchasing decisions will be made by the same people or firms; for instance, it may be that at Kidlington the hotel chain takes care of its washroom orders and the football club does likewise.
Kitting Out Multi-Use Buildings
However, there are some buildings with multiple uses that mean it has differing users in varied circumstances. For instance, some local authorities have constructed multi-purpose buildings that may house a library, gym and swimming baths.
In such circumstances, the needs of gym and pool users, who need space to change and access to showers, will be different from those just using the library, who may need to spend a penny but won’t be showering or changing their clothes.
Bringing multiple leisure functions under one roof is a cost-efficient way to use a building, making it very appealing to cash-strapped councils. For this reason, Sport England has provided guidance on the layout, use of space and facilities such buildings need.
Even this, however, does not go so far as to acknowledge the multiplicity of user needs generated by combining sport and leisure facilities with other council services such as a library. However, a sensible assessment of needs will enable you to assess just what is required for each kind of user and in what amounts.
The bottom line is that when fitting out any building, a ‘one size fits all’ approach will never do. But whatever your needs are, we have the equipment to meet them.
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