Architects have been tossing around the idea of universal design for a long time. In both homes and commercial facilities, good design should meet the needs of as many people as possible. This includes those of all ages and abilities – seniors, children and people with physical disabilities. The concept differs from specialized design, which indicates that buildings be specially outfitted to meet the needs of people with functional limitations. With universal design, there is no distinction made between the groups. All that matters is that it works for everyone.
Workplace Design Principles has gathered a great little list of ideas and quotes on universal bathroom design from a range of books, manuals and handbooks. They make mention of everything from positioning of room elements and wheelchair access to how the bathroom should consider the needs of the human life cycle.
When New York-based LAN Associates Architects and New Jersey-based Construction Technology Corporation discovered asbestos embedded in the 350 bathrooms of the 30 year old Asbury Tower, a 26-story senior living high-rise in Asbury Park, New Jersey, their remodel project was in danger of grinding to a halt.
After thorough evaluation of the Asbury Tower, traditional asbestos abatement options were considered. “We started looking at encapsulating the walls rather than bringing in an asbestos contractor to demo the bathrooms. We became aware of Best Bath Systems and their willingness to produce custom work and decided to call,” said project architect Vlad Potiyevsky, of LAN Architects.
Best Bath Systems was contracted to design, manufacture and deliver a custom accessible bath solution to effectively remodel, cover and seal the tower’s 350 bathrooms. It allowed architects and construction project managers to avoid costly asbestos removal, install a beautiful bathroom and put the remodel back on track.
The challenge for Best Bath was to design custom built pieces to fit each bathroom. Though they appeared as identical footprints on the construction floor plans, the 350 bathrooms were originally built in eight different design layouts, each with varied dimensions.
“We needed to be able to cover up the wainscot and around the door areas of the bathroom without disturbing the sheet rock and also take out the old bathtubs and put in a more accessible shower,” Cal Osborn of Best Bath explained. “We had to design for these different rooms a multi-piece, universal system; you can’t just bring in a one piece unit. So the floor needed to be separate from the shower pan and then all the wainscot and shower sections had to be custom built to fit together once they arrived at the job site.”
Best Bath manufactured over 7,000 shower surround system composite fiberglass pieces for the Asbury Tower remodel. Finish wall materials include gel coat surfaced fiberglass with encapsulated plywood. This standard Best Bath wall feature allows placement of accessories without additional modification. Because a harder surface was desired for the bathroom floor, a state of the art, sprayable solid surface was selected for the floors, giving the look and feel of granite and enabling the surface to withstand shoe traffic.
Best Bath helped construction managers meet critical construction timelines by offering unusually quick turnaround. Just six weeks after being contacted by LAN Associates, Best Bath manufactured and shipped a complete bathroom system for test fitting and resident feedback. “It’s not your typical construction vendor that is able to supply things so fast, especially when it’s made from scratch,” said Scott Harris, senior project manager at Construction Technology Corporation.
Best Bath Systems attributes the quick turnaround time to the very nature of the universal bath system. The interchangeability of the shower wall and floor components reduces tooling time dramatically. Osborn says Best Bath’s rapid production can also be credited to Best Bath’s custom-oriented production system, which is unique to the industry.
“Out of necessity, most manufacturers are production-oriented; Best Bath is a solution-oriented company. We’re set up to do custom work and we welcome creative custom ideas, we are able to adapt to custom challenges,” said Osborn.
This partnership kept the Asbury Tower remodel on budget and enabled them to meet their spring, 2009 completion date.
In the 20th Century, the senior population in the United States grew faster than any other segment. Four times faster, in fact. By 2050, one in five Americans will be 65 or older.
Now that we are on the cusp of seeing the baby boomer generation hit 65, we thought we would share some data and statistics on this growing population (courtesy of the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics)
In 2006 in the US, 37 million people were age 65 and over, accounting for about 12% of the total population. In the 20th century, the older population grew from 3 million to 37 million. The oldest population (85 and over) grew from 100,000 in 1900 to 5.3 million in 2006.
The Baby Boomers – 78 million of them – will start turning 65 in 2011. The number of older people will increase dramatically during the 2010–2030 period. The older population in 2030 is projected to be twice as large as in 2000, growing from 35 million to 71.5 million and representing nearly 20 percent of the total U.S. population.
From 2030 onward, the proportion age 65 and over will be relatively stable, at around 20 percent, even though the absolute number of people age 65 and over is projected to continue to grow. The 85+ population is projected to grow rapidly after 2030, when the Baby Boomers move into this age group.
The population of age 85+ could grow from 5.3 million in 2006 to nearly 21 million by 2050. Some researchers predict that death rates at older ages will decline, which could lead to even faster growth of this population.
Planning today to meet the needs of this growing population is the smart move for architects, builders and remodeling contractors.
We are pleased to announce that all Best Bath shower products are now backed by a 30 year limited warranty. All showers are manufactured with durable plywood cores, composite materials and tough gelcoat finishes, and are warranted to be free from all manufacturer defects under this expanded 30 year warranty.
“It is incredibly important to us that our customers have the security of knowing that their shower investment is built to last for the life of the building,” stated Jeff Mooney, VP of Sales for Best Bath Systems.
Best Bath commercial products are manufactured to match the life of the building and exceed ANSI standards for strength and durability. They are ideally suited for the bathing needs of private residences, hospitals, independent living communities, and university dormitories where safety and accessibility are of the utmost concern.
All bathing units are designed and manufactured using extremely durable materials. Walls are comprised of six layers. Two layers of composite laminate surround a plywood core. A skin laminate is laid and covered by a barrier coat. The surface is a hard-wearing gelcoat finish. Shower pans are built on a self leveling base and layered with a composite laminate, skin laminate and barrier coat with a gelcoat finish. The plywood reinforcement throughout all walls eliminates the need for additional backing during construction and allows for easy installation of safety grab bars, shower seats and other accessories during installation or at a later date.
Our products are manufactured either as one-piece units, ideal for new construction or as multi-piece units for quick installation in bathroom remodeling projects. All seams are completely waterproof and pre-leveled floors eliminate mud setting and ensure that the building will be safe from water damage.
Prefabricated showers also eliminate the many steps necessary when installing ceramic tile: hanging cement backer boards, applying thin set mortar, laying tile, adding reinforced bracing for safety bars, grouting and grout sealing. Best Bath showers merely require screws, adhesive and, in the case of multi-piece units, a line of caulk at the seams. All installation materials are included with the shower. This significantly reduces labor costs, and virtually eliminates the pitfalls that come with tile surrounds, including grout degradation, difficult safety bar installs and relocation, inadequate floor slopes and unseen water leaks. Gelcoat walls are grout-free, easy to clean and maintain and do not attract dangerous bacterial growth.
Hello from the Best Bath Systems commercial division. Our goal is to share the latest safe bathing news and industry insights with commercial builders, owners and designers that are seeking durable and cost effective accessible wet area solutions for hospitals, universities and assisted living facilities.
We hope you stop by often and look forward to hearing from you.
