The toilets in parks can seem like a minor component of a bigger public undertaking. However, the process of building that restroom may involve landscape architects, engineers, contractors and permitting authorities, material suppliers, fixture manufacturers, and the property owner.
Every transition creates a simple but vital question:
Who is responsible for ensuring one stage is linked to the next properly?
If park managers or project teams are comparing park restroom designs, this query could reveal more than reviewing a selection of completed structures.
Image credit: romtec.com
Watch the Handoffs
Imagine a bathroom which has already been conceptualized. The dimensions are perfect while the exterior has been chosen, and everyone is happy with the rendering.
Then engineering begins. Any change that is needed affects the layout. The adjustment can affect a component’s specification and therefore the procurement. The contractor later finds out that the assumption that was made in the design does not correspond to what was provided.
Each of these issues does not mean that someone made an incredibly mistake. These situations illustrate how difficult coordination can be when the responsibility is split among several parties.
A best park building designer candidate should therefore be evaluated on more than creativity. Understanding codes, components, engineering specifications, documentation real-world construction, and accessibility requirements could help the design process to be more connected to what will ultimately be built.
Check the actual proposal
Two construction proposals that seem similar could have completely different goals.
One of the packages could comprise a whole building. The other could cover preliminary design help, specifications, drawings, renderings, engineered designs, submittals, supply and even installation.
Comparatives solely based on the lowest price could be deceiving.
Romtec offers initial designs estimates, specifications, renderings, and drawings for design at no cost upfront. After acceptance of the design, the process then moves on to complete submittals.
Owners and design teams can then move more easily from a concept to a built-in-place.
Custom Requirements Must Be Identified Early
Public projects are rarely found under identical conditions.
Certain communities might choose to use eco-friendly fixtures and materials. Others may have a distinct architectural style. Landscape architects may require customized siding or colors that are unique or roof designs which visually link the bathroom to other park structures.
These decisions impact more than the appearance. They can impact components, documents procurement, engineering and construction.
When addressing specific requirements early it gives the team an possibility to add them instead of having to upgrade after important decisions have been taken.
Construction Knowledge can alter the Design Conversation
The ideal park bathroom builder for a specific project must be aware that a sketch eventually has to become a physical structure.
Romtec manufactures, provides the construction, design and manufacture of buildings for public application. It offers turnkey installation or building packages that are part of larger construction projects.
That design-to-construction experience creates a practical perspective: decisions made at a desk eventually have consequences on a jobsite.
Examine the entire journey, not just the destination.
A finished restroom doesn’t reveal all the coordination that happened prior to the opening day.
Visitors can look around the building. Visitors are able to see the structure. Project teams go through all the steps that preceded it: design decisions, estimates, documentation, engineering, approvals, supplies, and construction.
It’s for this reason that picking a partner with whom to build an area of park shouldn’t end by asking “Do we like the building?”
A more useful question is:
Do you have the ability to make the building come from our imagination to a building that is open to the public?