BATHROOM SOLUTIONS
Clark. “Having to meet those specific requirements
was a very interesting and challenging job.
“We also worked on Little Caesars Arena, and
we’re working on the Allegiant Stadium right now
in Las Vegas. We’re working towards our final
date and it’s progressing along well – considering
we’re in the midst of a global pandemic.”
Room for change
This raises the question of exactly when large
gatherings in stadia and arenas could be feasible
once more remains to be seen, but it seems certain
that restrooms could be subject to even greater
levels of scrutiny – and that comprehensive steps
to guard against coronavirus or any other
infections will be key to ensuring fan faith in the
safety of a venue.
“Things are different now, and they’re going
to continue to be different in the future,” says SSR’s
Clark. “Technology is going to change things, in
terms of making sure things are hands-free,
creating an ease of cleanliness to make sure that,
between events, you’re cleaning appropriately.
“This ties into HVAC systems,” he adds. “If we want
to be able to deliver better HEPA filtration, for
example, or if we want to be able to use some short
wavelength UV light that’s not harmful to humans,
but kills viruses. This is going to be really important.”
Henderson’s Lewis explains that there are three
kinds of transmission path – surface, droplets and
airborne. Restrooms in a post-Covid-19 world would
need surfaces that are easy to clean, no-touch and
automatic operation where possible, and careful
control of occupancy by regulating access to facilities.
He also feels application of UV light could play a role.
“An idea we had is putting UV lights in a restroom
and every 10 minutes, say, you make sure people are
out, and you close the doors. You turn on the UV
lights for two minutes, it kills viruses and bacteria,
then you let the next group of people in.”
It’s fair to say that sports venue operators will soon
be subjected to significant adjustment in a post-
Covid-19 world. And though bathroom facilities may
remain an unassuming part of stadium design, the
importance of cutting-edge innovation and technology
shows no sign of waning. n
AIR APPARENT
In a bid to convince fans to return
to large-scale gathering venues
such as stadia and arenas, operators
will be keen to reassure visitors
that all available steps are in place
to ensure the highest standards
of hygiene. In relation to the
current, unprecedented Covid-19
outbreak, a key safeguarding
aspect is effective, safe hand
washing and drying.
Excel Dryer models, such as the
XLerator, XLeratorEco,
XLeratorSync and ThinAir are
installed in a number of sports
venues and offer stadium operators
hands-free, contactless operation –
something noted by a number of
health organizations and experts as
integral to limiting the spread of the
virus. A number of Excel models
also offer HEPA filtration as
standard, or as an additional option.
Excel contracted testing experts,
LMS Technologies, to assess viral
filtration efficiency on the XLerator
and XLeratorSync models. Results
showed that the HEPA filtration
technology removed 99.999% of
the viruses from the airstream.
“The virus used in the test
represents all viruses, like
coronavirus, in terms of their size
or how they would react to the
filter,” explains LMS president Al
Vatine. “I can, with confidence, tout
the effectiveness of the XLerators
with HEPA filtration systems. If it
can perform this effectively in an
enhanced, virus-infused scenario,
it surely would provide effective
filtration in real-world settings.”
44 www.stadia-magazine.com June 2020
/www.stadia-magazine.com