Smart restrooms, prevalent in commercial and institutional settings, have long ceased being a fashionable gadget or gizmo. The overlap or intersection points of technological advancements, the need for sustainability, accessibility standards, and durability requirements make it a complex task. The task is undertaken by having architects, engineers, and product designers come together during the early stages or iterations.

In this white paper, we explore essential design forces, key standards, and ways to combine smart restroom solutions to meet requirements in relationship to accessibility, sustainability, and lifecycle with high-traffic projects.

For more information about Smart Restroom Technology, visit traxinsights.com.

Smart restrooms go beyond the usual functionality of providing water closets and other fixtures with modern finishes. Smart restrooms are systemic environments that consist of an array of subsystems working together in an interconnected way. Some examples of subsystems are those used for tracking occupancy and ambient conditions, smart fixtures with IoT capabilities, data networks and monitoring dashboards, and respective M&E infrastructure. Please visit traxinsights.com for more insights.

From a technical perspective, SMART Toilets integrate:

• Sense/monitoring platforms (occupancy, humidity, air quality, usage counters). More information about these is available online at verteco.com.
• Automatic fixtures (touchless tap, flush, soap dispenser). Additional information: traxinsights.com.
• Control and analysis layers that support remote notification, trend analysis, and interface with Building Management Systems (BMS) functions. See more at dinabina.org.

This introduces radical changes into the way bathrooms are designed, commissioned, and maintained.

ADA Accessibility

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is still considered the gold standard with regard to restroom accessibility within the USA. Designers need to take into account the dimensions, height, and operational efficiency with regard to dimensions that make it possible for a person with a disability to access the restroom. This impacts the dimensions of a stall, turn space, grab bar positioning, and control/reach range of things like dispensers. To learn more about accessibility, please visit commercialrestroomdesign.com.

ADA compliance cannot be discussed without referencing restroom design. Planning the space and manufacturers of the fixtures work best when done early and before construction, thus preventing costly redesigns.

WaterSense & Efficiency Standards

By EPA WaterSense, performance requirements have been established for water-efficient plumbing fixtures, where a minimum of 30% more water savings than regular fixtures is mandatory without compromising performance. EPA WaterSense labelling helps architects and engineers design fixtures that meet efficiency parameters and advance sustainability needs. See more: commercialtouchlessfaucets.com for more.

The use of WaterSense criteria alongside IoT monitoring allows the facility to report reduced water consumption to meet corporate or institutional sustainability requirements.

CALGreen and Green Building Regulations

The California Green Building Standards Code known as CALGreen takes sustainability beyond the current requirements for land use and transportation and adds requirements for sustainability in the areas of energy use efficiency, water use efficiency and conservation, material conservation, and indoor and outdoor environmental quality. Specifically related to CALGreen is fixture selection and the design of the restroom. More information on CALGreen is found at Wikipedia – CALGreen.

Manufacturers need to supply compliant products as well as performance information to help design teams meet code compliance.

Engineering Standards

Technical specifications of plumbing fixtures are dependent on standards like ASME A112.19.2, among others. Using such standards, one is assured of a number of things, including performance, material, and installation requirements, among others, that allow such fixtures to withstand heavy traffic, resist rust, and have a useful life that is only possible in such facilities as those of an institution.

Companies who qualify their products according to ASME specifications help provide specification certainty to designers. This assists engineers to incorporate performance information into building information modeling and power/utility load analysis.

Durability is one of the founding principles in smart restroom projects in airports, hospitals, universities, and transportation hubs. It is imperative that the devices are capable of withstanding millions of cycles, and solenoids, sensors, and mechanisms should be expected to last with little maintenance.

• Design teams and the manufacturers need to assess:
  • Performance characteristics under severe cleaning cycles and varying usage levels.
  • “Sensor reliability in the presence of changing levels of humidity and particulate matter.”
  • Redundancy, too, has a role.

Fixtures and electronics selected with a focus on commercial applications, with proven activation and testing, ensure fewer replacements and greater predictability of operating costs.

To learn more, please visit traxinsights.

The sustainability requirements cover more than mere regulation. Intelligent toilet designs should incorporate:

• Real-Time Water Flow Monitoring for Leak Detection and Load-Based Fixtures Control.
• Energy use in adaptive ventilation systems that are occupancy-related.
• Paper product management based on sensor information to minimize wastage.
• Low power electronic architectures and intelligent lighting control. Go to dinabina.org for more.

Through designing sustainability for the system and not just individual components, the amount of cost savings and reductions of environmental impacts can now be calculated.

Early Engagement

Successful smart bathroom projects should start by holding workshops involving all possible disciplines to agree upon the following:

• Space limitations and ADA clearances
• Network Infrastructure and Data Needs
• Performance baselines for fixtures
• Upkeep Accessibility and Serviceability

This will bring about a better alignment, thus a better constructability. Also, for further information about the benefits of interdisciplinary team working, please consult the respective sources.

Building Information Modelling & Integrated Documentation

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an extremely important aspect that allows the coordination of the layout of plumbing fixtures, sensors, power and data conduit routing, and HVAC systems. Companies that provide BIM objects for their products improve design clarity.

Testing & Commissioning

Smart restroom system commissioning proves the physical installation as well as the functionality of the digital networks. The process involves the functionality of the fixtures, the connections to sensors, the thresholds for notifications, and the accuracy of the reporting on the dashboard. Coordination between the commissioning agents and the manufacturers eliminates installation challenges. To learn more about BIM, please refer to verteco.com.

Intelligent restroom solutions are also able to offer very specific insights in order to facilitate targeted maintenance schedules, labor resource allocation, and consumable supplies management. Sensor and analytical technology data streams are also useful in helping facilities directors move from reactive to predictive maintenance approaches. In high-usage environments, this digital feedback is shown to enhance planning, facilitate sustainability reporting, as well as occupant satisfaction.

Case Studies & Evidence of Value

Many commercial examples prove the effects of smart toilet system applications: IoT sensors enabled facilities to report lower costs associated with cleanliness because of schedules informed by use. Visit traxinsights.com. “Integrations with building management systems have shown enhanced coordination between HVAC systems and reduced energy use related to toilet occupancy patterns.”

Please visit the website www.verteco.com for more information on the topic. These examples demonstrate the efficacy of combining engineering principles with technology in design and spec that directly translates into operational improvements.

Smart Restrooms: Smart Building Systems and Trends

Smart restroom systems incorporate changes taking place in building technologies, green building, and universal design. In designing smart building systems, one would need to work collaboratively with a focus on strict standard adherence, such as ADA, CALGreen, WaterSense, and ASME. Such is not a matter of incorporating more technology in itself for the purpose of incorporating more technology. Rather, effective smart restrooms are a matter of systems engineering to optimize functions, lower the cost of operations, and even increase user satisfaction for buildings which call for reliability and operational understanding.

For more information on smart toilet systems, visit traxinsights.com.