A restroom in a park could appear like a tiny piece of a large-scale public project. Landscape engineers, architects and contractors might participate in the building of a single building.

Every transition poses a simple, yet vital concern.

Who is responsible for ensuring that the correct connection of one stage to the next?

For the owners of parks as well as team members evaluating the most effective park restroom designers, that question can be more revealing than a look through the gallery of completed projects.

Image credit: romtec.com

Watch the Handoffs

Imagine a plan for an bathroom. The dimensions are right and the style of the outside is decided and everyone likes it.

Then engineering begins. The engineer must make a change to alter the layout. The adjustment impacts a component specification which impacts procurement. Later, the contractor discovers that the assumption made in design doesn’t match what is being provided.

All of these problems do not necessarily mean that someone has made an incredibly mistake. They illustrate how coordination can be difficult when responsibilities are divided among different groups.

A best park building designer candidate should therefore be evaluated on more than creativity. Knowing how to code, accessibility requirements and other components can help connect the design with the final product.

Make sure you read the proposal in its entirety.

Two plans for buildings which appear to be identical may actually have very different boundaries.

One package might be a complete building. Other options include preliminary designs drawings, specifications, renderings, engineered designs, submittals, supply and, if necessary, installation.

If you only compare the lowest price without understanding what makes them different, it can be false.

Romtec offers pre-designs, estimates, specifications, renderings, and drawings for design free of charge upfront. After approval the bid package, the process moves on to engineered set-ups of plans and submissions that are complete.

Designers and owners can then move more easily from a concept to a ready-to-build building.

Custom requirements need to be addressed early.

Rarely, do public projects take place in the same conditions.

One community might be interested in environmentally conscious materials and fixtures. Some may also have a particular design theme. A landscape architect may need custom siding, unusual colors or a roof layout which visually connects the restroom to other park structures.

These decisions affect more than the appearance. These decisions could affect elements and documents, procurement, construction and engineering.

By addressing special requirements as early as possible, the project team can integrate them in a planned manner, rather than retrofitting them after important decisions have been made.

Construction Knowledge Modifies the Design Conversation

The ideal builder of park toilets for any job must be aware that plans will eventually become physical structures.

Romtec creates, produces, supplies, and constructs buildings for public applications. It can offer building packages to be integrated into larger construction projects or turnkey installation.

That design-to-construction experience creates a practical perspective: decisions made at a desk eventually have consequences on a jobsite.

Evaluate the Journey, Not Only the Goal.

The bathroom you have finished won’t reveal the whole coordination that occurred before the day of opening.

Visitors can view the building. Visitors can see the building. However, the project team is exposed to all the steps that preceded the design decision, estimates as well as documentation, engineering approvals, supply, and construction.

This is why choosing an appropriate park building partner shouldn’t end with the question “Do you enjoy their buildings?”

A more useful question is:

Can you help us to take the building that was in our minds to a structure which is accessible to the public?