When it comes to any refurbishment project, fitting new washrooms into existing floorplans and around existing utilities within a building demands clever design solutions to maximise the available space without compromising on design.
This is where BIM comes into its own as it provides an excellent way to trial different layout and configuration options, making sure that the requirements of the planners, end users and clients alike are met.
With the majority of Washroom’s product range available as component BIM objects through the National BIM Library, the whole team can see at the earliest possible stage, how different elements of a design will fit together in the finished building.
BIM also helps the team to foresee any potential issues prior to getting to site, meaning product designs can be amended to suit the space and its limitations before manufacturing commences rather than on site.
This makes the process much smoother and reduces snagging on project completion.
Working around pre-determined layouts and not having the luxury of a blank canvas that comes with new build projects means that space can be limited on refurbishments.
Self-contained superloo cubicles are an excellent solution to this as they can be used to create unisex facilities which in turn take up less of the floorplate than a more traditional layout with separate male and female washroom areas.
Projects where old buildings, whether a warehouse, grain store or mill, are repurposed completely to create new office facilities, are becoming increasingly common, but are not without their challenges.
When it comes to working on buildings with a strong history and potentially plenty of period features, the brief will often stipulate that any new additions should be sensitive to its heritage in order to blend in seamlessly with the period and style of the building as a whole, while also created a modern workspace fit for 21st century office staff.
It’s important to be able to deliver the look an architect may want while being mindful of the overall durability of any materials specified to ensure it will stand up to use in a high traffic area.
So instead of specifying a rusted metal finish for example, an alternative material designed to replicate this would be preferable.
The refurbishment of International House, itself an old warehouse close to Tower Bridge in London, was designed to make the most of its style with exposed brickwork and services highlighting its past life as a warehouse.
The distinctive washrooms which Washroom delivered for the project feature dark green metro tiles in a herringbone pattern with contrasting grouting, plus unique feature mirrors, pendant lighting and bespoke vanity units – all designed to complement the industrial heritage of the building.
One particular challenge of smaller-scale refurbishment projects, which can sometimes be over-looked, relates to the actual installation process itself.
As Washroom installs as well as designing and manufacturing washrooms, showers and changing areas, it’s something the team is able to anticipate and offer solutions to at an early stage.
Creating washroom off-site and delivering products and materials to site on a just in time basis speeds up the installation process on site – it’s just one way to make a complex refurbishment project quicker and more efficient.
Washroom has also completed plenty of refurbishments in buildings where office staff are still working so the team knows the importance of working considerately to keep noise a disruption to a minimum – which often more often than not involves working through the night and out of hours.
The company’s Washroom Refresh service, which updates existing washrooms rather than replacing them completely, means that a team can complete a washroom refurb in much less time – within just a weekend in many cases.
For architects and designers looking to avoid traditional skirting boards, architraves and cornices, Renderplas offers its range of PVC plasterboard shadow gap beads for dry lining systems.
Posted in Articles, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Floors, Interior Design & Construction, Interiors, Posts, Render, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, WallsMembers of the MCRMA, the trade association for the metal cladding and roofing industry, had an exclusive opportunity to explore and discuss the changes affecting the construction sector at the first of the association’s roadshow events hosted by Siderise at its HQ and manufacturing facility in South Wales.
Posted in Articles, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry Events, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Regulations & Accreditations, Building Services, Cladding, Exhibitions and Conferences, Health & Safety, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Seminars, WallsThe latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report shows builders’ merchants’ value sales were down -2.1% in January compared to the same month in 2023.
Posted in Articles, Bathrooms & Toilets, Bathrooms, Bedrooms & Washrooms, Bricks & Blocks, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Services, Building Systems, Civil Engineering, Concrete, Cement, Admixtures, Doors, Drainage, Drainage Services, Facility Management & Building Services, Glass, Glazing, Hard Landscaping & Walkways, Interior Design & Construction, Interiors, Kitchens, Landscaping, news, Paints, Paints, Coatings & Finishes, Pipes & Fittings, Plumbing, Posts, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Site Preparation, Sustainability & Energy Efficiency, Timber Buildings and Timber Products, Waste Management & Recycling, WindowsHambleside Danelaw’s MidVerg20® interlocking verge system was manufactured to suit all flat intermediate gauge single-lap interlocking tile types, and can be installed on both new builds and refurbishments.
Posted in Articles, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Services, Innovations & New Products, Posts, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Roofs