Indy Zoo Upgrades Restroom Environment

By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff December 22, 2004

The Indianapolis Zoo is among the first to install the new Frequencyä Lavatory System from Bradley Corp. The Frequency lav, an innovative multi-height handwashing fixture, and other accessories have made the zoo’s main restrooms user-friendly for the entire “pack.”

The Indianapolis Zoo, which opened in 1988, welcomes about 900,000 visitors each year. The main gate restrooms accommodate virtually every visitor coming in or out of the zoo, and had not been renovated until just before the holidays last year. These high-traffic men’s and women’s restrooms were retrofitted with Frequency units in time for the Christmas at the Zoo event, which drew over 50,000 people.

“We are extremely pleased with the design and performance of Bradley’s Frequency Lavatory Systems so far,” said Don Linthicum, trades manager for the zoo. “Seventy to 80 percent of our guests are kids, so we chose the Frequency units as part of our goal to provide more accessible restrooms for our younger visitors. The Frequency looks great and helps parents because their children can use the lower sink on their own without being lifted.”

The Indy Zoo specified the three-station Frequency based on the main-gate restrooms’ volume. The Frequency’s unique wave design combines a lower ADA-compliant sink with a higher sink and simplifies the task of meeting ADA requirements. The Terreon

Working together with Bradley from the planning stage, the zoo also replaced worn accessories, painted and installed new flooring. New trash receptacles and wall trim installed are part of the Frequency accessory line and coordinate with the fixture’s fluid lines. Linthicum added, “The restrooms are much more inviting and do not have the institutional look of most public restrooms. We plan to add Frequency Lavatory Systems to our three other restroom buildings.”