A bathroom in a park can appear like a relatively small piece of a larger public-private partnership. Yet delivering that one building could require landscape architects engineers, contractors and permitting authorities, material suppliers as well as fixture manufacturers as well as the owner.
Every transition asks a simple yet crucial question.
Who is responsible for making sure each stage is properly connected to the one that follows?
This is a more valuable question than the portfolio.
Be on the lookout for Handoffs
Imagine a bathroom that is already conceptually designed. The dimensions are accurate and the style of the outside is decided and everyone is happy with it.
Image credit: romtec.com
Then engineering begins. An adjustment is needed that affects the layout. The change affects a component specification that impacts the procurement. Later, the contractor finds that the assumption that was made in the design does not match what was provided.
Each of these scenarios does not necessarily mean that someone made a mistake of major magnitude. These situations illustrate how coordination is difficult in situations where responsibility is divided between several different parties.
It is important to look at more than just the imagination of a potential candidate when looking at the top park design option. Understanding codes, components, engineering specifications, documentation as well as construction and accessibility standards can assist the design process to be more connected to the final product.
Review the actual proposal
Two plans for buildings that appear to be similar might actually have vastly different specifications.
One could be a package of building materials. A different option could be preliminary design aid such as drawings, specifications, renderings, engineered plans, submittals, supply and, if necessary, installation.
Comparing just the lowest price without understanding the differences could lead to a misleading comparison.
Romtec offers pre-designs estimates, estimates, specifications, renderings, and drawings for design at no cost upfront. After acceptance, the process is extended to include complete submittals and engineered plans.
This provides owners and design teams a more clear path to getting from an idea to an erected structure.
It is important to get your Custom Orders by the Early Birds.
Public projects are not always created under the same conditions.
One community may be looking for environmentally conscious materials and fixtures. Another may have a specific architectural theme. Landscape architects could require custom siding, colors that are unusual, or roof configurations which visually link the restroom with other park structures.
These decisions may have more impact than just appearance. They could affect components, documentation procurement, engineering and construction.
If specific requirements are addressed early, the team has an chance to incorporate them in a planned manner rather than needing to retrofit once significant decisions have been taken.
Construction Knowledge Influences the Design Conversation
The best park restroom builder for a particular project should understand that a drawing eventually has to become a physical structure.
Romtec is a firm that designs, manufactures, equipment and constructs buildings to be used by the public. Romtec offers building packages that integrate into 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.
Review the entire process and not just the destination
The bathroom you have finished won’t reveal all the planning that went on before opening day.
The building is visible for park owners. Visitors can see the building. But project teams experience everything that came before it design decisions, estimates, documentation, engineering, approvals, supply, and construction.
This is the reason choosing the right park partner should not stop at the question “Do you like their buildings?”
A more useful question is:
Can this company assist us in bringing the building that we envision to the ground?