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64 4.1 Construction Typically a restroom project will be part of a larger airport project. It may be within a new terminal or expansion, or it may be part of a renovation of a particular area of the airport, perhaps baggage claim. In these types of projects, construction is fairly straightforward. The work occurs within the construction limits and is simply another space that is built out. Renovations of indi- vidual restrooms, usually part of a restroom upgrade program throughout the airport, is a whole different world of complexity. 4.1.1 Phasing Unless the project is merely a facelift with new finishes and replacement of fixtures and accessories, it is unlikely the project will be contained within the current walls. The customer service driver of providing larger stalls and more circulation space implies enlarging the restroom space. This will likely affect the neighboring spaces and require relocating fixtures and their associated plumbing. For obvious reasons, it is not possible to renovate all the restrooms at once so the restroom team will need to develop a phasing plan. While not efficient, it works best to spread out the work so each phase includes no more than one restroom from any concourse or terminal location at a time. The loss of even one restroom can have a significant impact on a concourse, especially if the fixture count is inadequate to begin with. Construction barriers will temporarily shrink circulation spaces, a significant impact in concourses. The airport code official should be consulted to discuss how this condition may create egress concerns with the narrowed corridors that may need an alternative path. If fixtures are relocated, power panels added, etc., utility shutdowns for plumbing, HVAC, sprinklers, and power will need to be planned for and coordinated between the contractor and airport managers. Similar impacts occur if the restroom is being moved to a better location based on the master plan developed in Chapter 2. This kind of move will typically require the relocation of another tenant or function area, which will need to be completed before demolition and construction work can occur for the new restroom. Timing can be affected by lease terms so decisions should be made in the context of the airportâs overall master plan. 4.1.2 Delivery Methods Todayâs construction industry offers a variety of project delivery methods: ⢠Design-bid-build ⢠Design-negotiate-build C H A P T E R 4 Implementation
Implementation 65 ⢠Design-build ⢠Construction management ⢠Owner-build ⢠Integrated project delivery However, every airport has unique legal requirements based on the type of governance. In an ideal world, the general contractor is brought in at the same time as the architect to be part of the restroom team. Their knowledge about construction methods and costs are invaluable and makes for a more efficient project planning and design process. However, as most airports are a public entity, public bidding is required. In a bidding situation, it is recommended instead to bring in a construction manager (CM) early on in the process. With a similar knowledge of the local construction industry, a CM can provide similar insight to construction and costs. A CM can also manage the construction period, which can be especially useful for airports that are smaller or have infrequent projects. Regardless of the deliv- ery method, it is vital that the owner, architect, and contractor (and/or CM) have a frank discussion upfront about expectations and limitations so the partnership is on the same page from the start. 4.1.3 Maintaining Standards To maintain the projectâs design standards, it may be best to sole source some or all of the products. However, on a publicly bid project, it is standard practice to provide three manufacturers for a given product. Sometimes it is a legal requirement and the number of manufacturers may vary. While the intention of creating non-exclusionary bidding is laudable, it can wreak havoc on a projectâs design and the airportâs product standards. Finishes are particularly vulnerable in that often the entire finish scheme may be based on a particular wall materialâs color and pattern. Likewise, leaving the toilet manufacturer open to the capriciousness of the bidding climate can cause the airport to have to stock spare parts for multiple toilet models. A successful strategy used by some airports is to allow substitutions. In this scenario, the bid specifications will list the desired manufacturer and their product. Then, instead of listing comparable manufacturers, the specification indicates that substitution requests are permitted. Standard specification language puts the onus on the bidder to demonstrate that the proposed substitution is an equivalent match to the desired product. The argument can also be made legally that the cost of sole-sourced products in the overall construction cost is a small percentage as the labor cost is not included. 4.1.4 Prefabricated Restrooms Prefabricated restrooms are a concept that evolved primarily from hospital projects where pre-assembled headwalls with all equipment and finishes in place when shipped to the site were installed in a fraction of the normal construction time. While an entire prefabricated airport restroom might only be feasible in new construction, portions of the space can successfully be prefabricated. Restrooms have numerous repetitive modular elements that could be considered for prefabrication including pipe chase plumbing assemblies, sink walls, and possibly an entire family room. Here too finishes would already be complete. Shortening construction time signifi- cantly minimizes disruption caused by an out-of-service restroom(s). 4.2 Post-occupancy Evaluation Since airport restrooms, especially in large airports, are repeated throughout the facility, it is important to think of the restrooms as living prototypes that are ever evolving. As each set is
66 Guidebook for Airport Terminal Restroom Planning and Design designed and completed, there should be a cycle of evaluation. In the construction industry, a valuable final phase of a project is a post-occupancy evaluation. This evaluation is conducted near the one-year anniversary of the projectâs completion, the milestone when the contractorâs standard one-year warranty period concludes. The evaluation is conducted by the representatives from the airport, the architect, and the general contractor. The purpose is to verify that everything functions as planned. If not, the design might be tweaked, if not in this current project, then in the next. If a product is failing, replacement can be made under warranty. More important, the product selection can be revisited to see if there is a better alternative available now. This is also the time to update the airport design and materials standard as well as the maintenance SOP. Customer service comments from the past year should be collected, analyzed, and discussed. Ideally, the entire restroom team is reconvened for this important conclusion to the restroom project. With the wisdom of lessons learned, the team will be ready to begin the entire planning, design, and implementation process anew for their next restroom project.
