Page 30 - College Planning & Management, April 2018

NEW DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR A REPUTABLE RESTROOM
Effective restroom maintenance is also bolstered by design strategies. High-quality furnishings, such as touchless technology, all-in-one sink designs, durable and sustain- able materials, high aesthetics, and acces- sible washroom fixtures and accessories all reinforce a user-focused restroom environ- ment. These newer-generation fixtures also promote benefits important to facilities such as hygiene, safety, maintainability, long life cycle, and operational efficiency.
Supporting Hand Hygiene
Restroom design and maintenance can also head off unwanted behavior, vandalism attempts—and germs. Poorly maintained restrooms may discourage students from remaining in the restroom long enough to wash hands properly, which can prevent the spread of illness in close-contact environ- ments like educational settings. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion (CDC), good hand washing practices— washing for at least 20 seconds—is the best strategy for eliminating germs from hands.
Compounding the problem of germ transmission on higher-ed campuses is less diligent hand washing practices, as those in the 18-34 age range are less likely to wash after using a public restroom, according to the Healthy Hand Washing Survey. Only 65 percent of Millennials always wash their hands compared with 82 percent of those 35-54 and 84 percent 55 and older. The most common reasons cited for not washing hands include the absence of soap or paper towels or the restroom was too unclean.
Touch-Free Fixtures
Using sensor-operated faucets, flush valves, soap dispensers, and hand dryers reduce the incidence of touching restroom germ “hot spots” that can cause cross- contamination from users’ hands. According to Infection Control Today, 80 percent of all infectious diseases are transmitted by touch. Hands-free fixtures improve overall hygiene in the restroom and help to curb germs being carried on hands outside the restroom to other parts of the building and campus.
Using touchless fixtures also helps facili- ties gain compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This act requires that faucets are operable with one hand, without tight gasping or twisting, and should be activated using a maximum of five pounds of force. Capacitive-sensor controlled faucets meet this requirement and minimize user frustration because the entire spout is an “omni-directional” sensor field that detects a user’s presence from any angle of approach.
New-generation handwashing fixtures incorporate completely touchless all-in-one designs, providing “smart” soap, faucet, and hand dryer in one space. This integral design promotes convenience, accessibility and traffic flow—all important consider- ations for campus restroom spaces. All-in- one designs also keep water in the basin to eliminate water dripping on the user, walls, and floor, which can cause safety issues for users and facilities.
Touchless hand washing fixtures are also easier to maintain over time since they are not being physically handled, which increas-
es wear and tear. Facilities can also head off vandalism attempts and wasted water, soap, and towel usage with an automatic shut off.
Conserving Paper and Water Waste
Colleges and universities use an abun- dance of paper and water, and paper towels account for a huge expense—costing thou- sands of dollars annually. High-efficiency touchless hand dryers, which can quickly dry hands in 12 or fewer seconds, eliminate paper towels that often wind up on the floor or in vandalism attempts. Hand dryers also free up staff time associated with restock- ing towels and trash removal.
As for water, commercial buildings con- sume 88 percent of America’s potable water, and plumbing fixtures make up 47 percent of that figure. Analyzing plumbing fixtures’ water consumption rates and looking for ways to lower the flow is a good idea from environmental and efficiency standpoints. While a water distribution audit can help with leak-detection prioritization, older toilets and faucets may need replacing. For example, toilets with 3.5 gallons per flush (GPF) and faucets using two or more gallons per minute (GPM) could be updated with more efficient models. New technologies can reduce toilets to 1.6 GPF and faucet flow rates to .38 GPM, delivering more than 24 percent in cost reductions compared to the previous generation of low-flow faucets.
30 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / APRIL 2018
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