A park toilet can appear to be a tiny part of a large public project. Yet delivering that one building may involve landscape architects, contractors, engineers, permitting authorities, suppliers of materials, fixture manufacturers, as well as the owner.

Every transition poses a simple yet important question.

Who is responsible for ensuring every stage is connected properly to the next?

For owners of parks and project teams comparing the best design of the park’s restrooms, this question can be more revealing than browsing through a portfolio of finished structures.

Image credit: romtec.com

Handoffs Do not forget

Think about a design for an bathroom. The dimensions are right and the design is chosen for the exterior and everyone likes it.

Then engineering begins. It is necessary to make changes, which affects the layout. This alteration affects a part specification, which influences the procurement. The contractor is later able to determine that a design assumption doesn’t reflect the actual item.

The above issues do not mean that someone made an unintentional error. They show how coordination can become difficult when responsibility is dispersed among multiple individuals.

A best park building designer candidate should therefore be evaluated on more than creativity. Understanding code, accessibility requirements and other components can help integrate the design into the end product.

Review the actual proposal

Two ideas for supposedly similar structures may have distinct scopes.

One package might include a complete building. It could include preliminary design advice and drawings, renderings and engineered plans.

Comparatives solely based on the price at the bottom can be misleading.

Romtec will provide you with free estimates and designs and specifications, drawings and renderings for your bid package. Following acceptance the process is moved to engineered plans and submissions that are complete.

This gives designers and owners teams a clearer way of transitioning from an idea to an erected structure.

Custom requirements require prompt attention.

Public projects rarely exist in the same conditions.

A community might want to use eco-friendly fixtures and materials. A particular architectural style may be preferred by another community. Landscape architects might require unusual shades or colors to visually link the restroom with other structures in the park.

These choices can have a greater impact than just appearance. These decisions can affect the elements and documents, procurement, engineering, and construction.

Early identification of special requirements gives the project team an opportunity to incorporate them intentionally instead of trying to make them retrofitable after major decisions have been made.

Construction Knowledge can change the Design Conversation

The best builder of park restrooms for a particular job should understand that a drawing eventually has to become an actual structure.

Romtec produces, sells building materials, builds and designs buildings for public application. Romtec offers building packages which can be integrated with larger construction projects or offer turnkey construction.

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

Take a look at the Journey, Not Only the Goal.

A completed bathroom doesn’t reveal the whole coordination that occurred before the day of opening.

The park owners are aware of the structure. Visitors see the building. Teams from the project are involved in the entire process leading towards construction, including design, estimation, documentation engineering and approvals.

This is the reason why selecting a partner to construct parks shouldn’t end by asking “Do we like the buildings?”

A more useful question is:

Can this company assist us to get from the building we imagine to the building we are able to open to the public?