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 4.5 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, 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 both 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,” said Arley Sochocky, interior design studio manager, 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 sleek fixture eliminates deck and washroom clutter, Gerber said. “There was no need to map out separate spaces, hookups and wiring for individual soap dispensers, faucets and hand dryer components. 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 said.

User-Friendly Design Refreshes Handwashing, Simplifies Maintenance

Bradley’s innovative WashBar featuring touchless clean+rinse+dry technology streamlines usability without sacrificing aesthetics. The award-winning fixture invites users with its accessible, easy and intuitive handwashing interaction. LED lighting and easy-to-identify icons on top of the WashBar guide handwashing while soap, water and dryer are all kept in close personal reach. Advanced sensing technology ensures that each clean, rinse or dry function will not accidentally activate a neighboring function.

Its touch-free design is also a big win for facility maintenance. According to Thomas Burns, CRDA/ABM ambassador manager: “The key benefits are that it means better sanitary conditions due to the lack of physically touching things used in a public area and no wear and tear on external components of fixtures,” he said.

The basin, made of non-porous and seamless Terreon solid surface, and the WashBar hand dryer are engineered to work together to eliminate water dripping onto the user, walls or floor. “The units are easily cleaned and very little water seems to splash on the floor so far,” Burns added.

“As a tourist destination, we realize the importance of having clean restrooms and providing a higher standard for visitors and their families,” said CRDA Executive Director Matt Doherty. “These improvements, including the WashBar’s performance, greatly increase the Atlantic City tourism experience.”