Atlantic City Boardwalk, N.J.
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECT: SOSH Architects
MATERIALS
Amidst beautiful beaches along the Atlantic Ocean, the world-famous Atlantic City Boardwalk is a beacon of year-round tourism, recreation and public events. The world’s first and longest boardwalk provides access to a number of hotels, resorts, shops, casinos and more.
Following years of complaints from locals and tourists about the poor restroom conditions, the seven high-use bathrooms located along 4 1/2 miles of the boardwalk underwent a major transformation to make them cleaner, more modern and family friendly. Atlantic City’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) oversaw the multi-million-dollar renovation of the 8,150 square feet of restrooms—some measuring more than 2,000 square feet—which were completely gutted and refurbished.
Some of the overriding goals for the project, according to Austin Gerber, senior associate and architect/project manager with SOSH Architects, were to “make them convenient and durable enough for public use, easy to clean and maintain, touchless—a feature that is especially timely in the age of COVID-19—and consistent looking throughout all the bathrooms.”
In addition to replacing fixtures; toilets; urinals; and installing new heating, plumbing and ventilation systems, the project team specified Bradley’s all-in-one WashBar with touch-free soap, water and hand dryer in one single chrome-plated component. The handwashing systems are featured in seven comfort stations along the boardwalk, including men’s and women’s restrooms, for a total of 14 bathrooms.
“I’ve specified Bradley’s products for years and had been curious about the all-in-one concept of the WashBar,” says Arley Sochocky, Interior Design Studio manager with SOSH Architects. “After I experienced the unit in person, I knew the WashBar would be perfect for this application. Not only is it highly durable and easy to use, it’s completely touch-free, modern, streamlined and super functional.”
The WashBar’s integration of soap, water and dryer into one fixture eliminates deck and washroom clutter, Gerber says. “There was no need to map out separate spaces, hookups and wiring for individual soap dispensers, faucets and hand-dryer components,” he says. “Installation was also easy and straightforward.”
Seamless, OmniDeck made of Terreon solid surface was specified along with the WashBar.
“The tonality of these integral handwashing systems complement the bathrooms’ tile floors and walls, which have neutral hues with warm accents. All of these aesthetics tie back to the boardwalk while keeping the materials and color palette of the restroom facilities consistent across all restrooms,” Sochocky notes.
“As a tourist destination, we realize the importance of having clean restrooms and providing a higher standard for visitors and their families,” says CRDA Executive Director Matt Doherty. “These improvements, including the WashBar’s performance, greatly increase the Atlantic City tourism experience.”
WASHBAR MANUFACTURER: Bradley Corp.