Not Your Basic Bathroom
When a prestigious university in Ohio embarked on building a new 1.9 million-square-foot Wexner Medical Center Inpatient Hospital they needed hundreds of bathrooms installed quickly, and Durapods was the perfect solution. This project is the largest facilities project ever undertaken at the campus and includes 820 beds in private rooms, so timing and quality are critical. PDM Constructors created Durapods as a turnkey solution that offers superior quality modular bathroom pods that combine design and construction innovation to provide customers a cost advantage with lasting value. Utilizing pre-manufactured bathroom pods is a green, efficient solution that will reduce material waste, save money, and improve the progression of the University’s construction.
Construction expertise and rapid prototyping by PDM created complete bathroom system pods offsite. Material selection and ease of installation is a deciding factor for all parts of the pod from studs to sinks. Durapods installers were previously insulating the cold water pipes with fiberglass insulation, but issues were creating wasted installation time and costly call backs. The fiberglass pipe insulation was not performing due to lack of durability. Transporting, moving the pod into place or even accidental bumps into the vapor retarder would create messy tears and more work for installers who had to repair the insulation with fiberglass tape. Customers also did not like how poor the vapor retarder repair looked after being fixed and Durapods knew that there had to be a better solution to insulate pipes. Their team began reviewing material options and even though ArmaFlex® elastomeric insulation was a premium product and more costly, the benefits of being easier to install, having improved durability, reducing call backs, and offering superior service, made it the ideal choice. Dan Cohen, Foreman, and Lead Insulator remarked, “Now that we have made this change to ArmaFlex pipe insulation, we know it was the best option. ArmaFlex is very durable and a nicer looking product than fiberglass insulation. It has all the things we need from an insulation solution and Armacell’s service level is top notch.” For a project delivering 15 pods per week, it is easy to see how flexible, durable, fiber-free elastomeric foam insulation that resists punctures would benefit any modular construction systems. ArmaFlex is meant to last the lifetime of the mechanical system, from application install to system end.
Armacell Has Answers
Bringing more than half a century of science, expertise, and innovation to foam technology, Armacell has the expertise to create specialized solutions. Our advanced insulation product portfolio includes a variety of building solutions to support HVAC applications, cold lines and chilled water lines, mechanical systems, chillers, boilers, UV, and high temperature areas, and also includes accessories like pipe hangers, adhesives, and tape. Armacell’s Solutions Packages offer a wide range of products tailored to code-compliance, performance, and budget.
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