Specifying Stylish Shower Rooms

With more and more tenants struggling with mobility issues and an ageing population, housing associations are increasingly making the decision to install shower rooms. Stuart Reynolds, Head of Product and Marketing at AKW, discusses what to look for when specifying contemporary, long-lasting, cost-effective shower rooms.
 

Future-proof durability

As the average bathroom is installed for approximately 25 years in social housing before a refurbishment, it needs to be designed with longevity in mind. It is no surprise therefore that when AKW asked housing association managers what their biggest needs were for tenant bathrooms ‘long-lasting’ was one of the top-five demands. This is why in AKW’s new Beautiful Showers collection the shower trays and wet room formers - and many of the glass screens and other accessories - come with long, ‘made for life’ guarantees.

Minimal maintenance

The pandemic has shown how difficult routine maintenance of tenant properties can be. In addition, mould has been highlighted in the AKW research as a significant bugbear for maintenance managers. With this in mind AKWs new Beautiful Showers collection includes:
• Easy to clean, grout-free Origin and Marlbrook wallpanels in a range of finishes. They are long-lasting and are on average 25% cheaper to install than tiles.
• A full range of durable and low maintenance screens, showers and accessories that are easy to maintain are also available.
 

Contemporary styling

Contemporary styling was another area that was seen as important by housing association managers when it came to the bathroom. With this in mind, AKW’s Beautiful Showers collection brings the same level of contemporary, low-maintenance design to both adapted and non-adapted spaces.
 
The AKW Beautiful Showers collection includes:
• AKW’s stylish Larenco and Level Best glass screens
• A range of contemporary wet room formers to suit any installation: Tri-Form and TuffForm8 wet room formers and Onyx shower trays for level access showering and the Sulby 2 shower tray for installation on unbreachable floors
• Stunning AKW Origins and Marlbrook wall panels, tiles, vinyl anti-slip flooring, AKW Livenza Plus sanitaryware and brassware products and bathroom furniture.
• A selection of stylish AKW mixer and electric showers blend functionality and aesthetics for a beautiful finishing touch to any bathroom space.
 

Time-saving installation

As tenant disruption is one of the big headaches for any bathroom refurbishment, minimising this can have significant cost and time implications. That is why AKW has included the Onyx Care Pod in the Beautiful Showers collection. This stylish yet functional standalone shower cubicle allows for fast, convenient installation with minimum disruption to the end user.
 

Scalding prevention

Hot water safety must always be a priority, particularly when specifying products for social housing. According to a Building Research Establishment information paper on scalding prevention1, TMV2 valve installation is suggested as best practice in private dwellings and housing associations. That is why specifying thermostatically controlled mixer and electric showers are important. AKW’s Beautiful Showers collection offers specifiers a selection of thermostatically controlled shower options including the SmartCare Plus electric shower range and the Arka Thermostatic Mixer Shower.
 
Overall, the AKW Beautiful Showers collection has been created with housing associations in mind. It offers specifiers, installers and end users alike everything needed to create beautiful, contemporary yet durable bathrooms that will look as good on day 1001 as they did on day one!

To find out more about the Beautiful Showers collection visit beautifulshowering.akw-ltd.co.uk
 
For more information, please contact AKW on 01905 823298, Email: sales@akw-ltd.co.uk or visit www.akw-ltd.co.uk