A park bathroom can seem like a minor part of a larger project that could cost millions. Landscape engineers, architects, and contractors could be involved in the building of one structure.
Every transition poses a straightforward but important question:
Who is responsible for ensuring that an element connects effectively?
For park owners and project teams comparing the best park restroom designers, that question can be more revealing than looking through a portfolio of finished buildings.
Be aware of the Handoffs
Take a bathroom that already has been conceptualized. The measurements are correct and the design of the exterior has been chosen and everyone likes it.
Image credit: romtec.com
Then engineering begins. The layout is affected by a change that is required. The modification has an impact on the specifications for a particular component and, therefore the purchase. The contractor later discovers that an assumption made during design doesn’t match what is being supplied.
Each of these scenarios does not implies that someone has made an error that was significant. They highlight the difficulties of coordination in situations where responsibilities are shared between multiple people.
It is important to look at more than just the imagination of a design candidate when assessing the top park design option. Understanding codes, accessibility requirements, components, engineering, documentation, as well as construction realities will help you connect design choices with what ultimately gets built.
Examine the proposal to determine what it’s made of
Two similar proposals for building may have very different scopes.
One of the packages could include a complete building. The other could cover preliminary design help drawings, specifications, renderings, engineered plans submittals, supply and, if necessary, installation.
Comparing just the lowest price without understanding those differences can produce a misleading comparison.
Romtec provides preliminary estimates and designs for no initial cost, as well as drawings, specifications and renderings of bid packages. The process continues after acceptance to include submissions that are complete and engineered plans.
Owners and design teams can then go more quickly from a design to a ready-to-build building.
You Need to Get Your Custom Orders in Early.
Rarely are public works executed under the same conditions.
A community might require fixtures and other materials that are green. Another may have a specific architectural style. Landscape architects may need custom siding, colors that are unusual or roof layouts that visually link the restroom to other park buildings.
They can have an impact on more than just appearance. They could impact the design, documentation, and components.
Addressing specific requirements in the beginning gives the team working on the project an opportunity to incorporate them intentionally rather than trying to adapt them after major decisions have been taken.
Construction Knowledge Changes the Design Conversation
The best builder of bathrooms for parks will be able that sketches will eventually transform into a physical structure.
Romtec creates, produces products, supplies and builds structures for public use. Romtec can offer building packages that integrate into larger construction projects, or offer turnkey installation.
That design-to-construction experience creates a practical perspective: decisions made at a desk eventually have consequences on a jobsite.
Consider the Journey, Not Only the Goal.
It’s difficult to determine how much coordination went into a finished bathroom prior to its opening.
Park owners can see the building. Visitors can see the building. But project teams experience all the steps that preceded it: design decisions, estimates and documentation, engineering approvals, supply and construction.
So, choosing a park building partner shouldn’t start and end with a question like “Do we enjoy their building?”
A more useful question is:
Are you able to help us transform the building from our thoughts to a building that is accessible to the public?