The Orme Academy approached Shaw Education Multi Academy Trust to look at the feasibility of refurbishing the main washrooms. The original washrooms were in a very poor, tired condition, with damaged tiling, flooring & cubicles. The toilets were also a very poor design and the layout meant that there was no clear line of vision for school staff to monitor the room effectively.
Many options were examined but it became clear early in the project that a total transformation was needed, and the internal layout of the washroom needed to be changed to create an open-plan unisex washroom with a fully compliant disabled cubicle. The Academy’s brief was to “create a safe space for its students and make the new washroom a more open and less intimidating space for all students”.
Shaw Education Trust, completed the final design and tendered the project that was won by Concept Group (Wigan) Ltd.
Working over a 9-week period over the summer holidays, internal walls were removed, and two large openings were created to provide a clear line of vision onto the corridor.
Due to the open plan toilet design full height cubicles were chosen to maximise privacy, and solid grade laminate chosen due to its robust durability. IPS panels were fitted to house and conceal all the cisterns and services, protecting them from tampering and damage and to aid cleaning.
In the central area, a communal wash area was created, four Corian wash troughs and feature vanity units all add to the wow-factor to the space. The troughs were fitted non-concussive taps, vanity unit fitted with stainless soap dispensers, mirrors & hand dryers.
A new suspended ceiling was fitted including installing blue LED lighting around the perimeter to give the toilets a modern feel. New ventilation system was installed to service each cubicle as well as the installation of state of the art vape detectors which text the nominated staff if vape it detected.
A new fully compliant disabled cubicle as built into the design that provided a larger space and featured all the necessary grab rails, an internal washbasin, hand drier and vape detector.
Overall, the project was delivered successfully on time and on budget. The school are seeing the benefits of the new layout and design, washroom design, Needless to say The Orme are very happy with their new open plan, modern washroom space.
