Bathroom ‘pods’ latest example of Rice’s innovative approach to processes, design

Bathroom ‘pods’ latest example of Rice’s innovative approach to processes, design

BY JENNIFER EVANS
Rice News staff

Most bathrooms wouldn’t qualify as works of art, but the ones designed for Rice’s two new residential colleges might. Bathrooms like the ones being installed at McMurtry College are included in a new special exhibit, “Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling,” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

	JEFF FITLOW
	This prefabricated bathroom pod being delivered to McMurtry College is one of many sustainable design elements that will earn the colleges certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

The bathrooms — bathroom “pods,” actually — are 7-by-7-foot prefabricated lavatories that demonstrate innovative, sustainable construction approaches. Built in a factory, they are delivered as completed units — with showers, sinks, toilets and even mirrors in place — to the construction site. This off-site construction reduces traffic to and environmental impact on the project site and eliminates construction waste that would be produced by the many subcontractors, the number of which also is reduced.

”Forty percent of all the raw materials consumed in the United States are for the construction and renovation of buildings, and typical practice is to oversupply materials to a job site and haul the waste to a landfill. The system itself assumes waste,” said Richard Johnson, Rice’s director of sustainability. “The prefabricated bathroom pods concept turns this assumption on its head by actually preventing waste before it is even created, thanks to the use of lean manufacturing processes. This fits the spirit of Duncan and McMurtry colleges, where we are also recycling on the order of 90 percent of all of the construction waste that is generated.”

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The pods’ outer shell is constructed of glass-reinforced plastic and connected to a steel frame. The interiors are all white with 9-foot ceilings, wall-hung plumbing fixtures, light fixtures and a smooth ceiling and wall finish. Installation requires being hoisted into place by a crane and just a handful of plumbing and electrical connections.

Delivery of the 178 pods to Rice began earlier this month. They are one of many sustainable design elements that will earn McMurtry and Duncan colleges certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Additional sustainable features include green roof terraces, rainwater collection and energy monitoring.

Barbara White Bryson, associate vice president for Facilities, Engineering and Planning, said, “Rice endeavors to create exceptional and innovative teams. This bathroom pod is yet another example of how creative thinking about processes as well as design can create great value for the university.”

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The bathrooms are 7-by-7-foot lavatories delivered as completed units — with showers, sinks, toilets and even mirrors in place — to the construction site.

The pods were designed for Rice by London-based Hopkins Architects, in collaboration with the executive projects architect, Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company. They were manufactured in the U.K. by Off Site Solutions and in New Jersey by Kullman Buildings Corp.

Duncan and McMurtry colleges are scheduled to open in fall 2009. For more on these projects, visit http://project.rice.edu or stop by the Construction Information Center at the corner of Alumni Drive and College Way.

“Home Delivery,” featuring five prefabricated structures, including the house with the bathroom pod — “Cellophane” by Kieran Timberlake, opened last weekend in New York City.