Efficient and hygienic planning and operation of sanitary facilities in administrative and office buildings – with SCHELL

A great many administrative and office buildings in Germany are in need of renovation. According to the 2024 ‘Bestandskompass’ survey, around a third of office space in Germany’s seven largest cities must be modernised if climate targets are to be met. This includes sanitary facilities – which often no longer meet contemporary standards for hygiene and energy usage.

From renovations to new development projects, the primary goal is always to ensure operations are safe, hygienic and functional. This requires strict adherence to a clear set of rules, both in planning and later operations.

What’s important: Requirements for modern sanitary equipment in administrative and office buildings

From a functional, hygienic or organisational perspective, sanitary facilities in administrative and office buildings have a number of special requirements. Unlike the situation in conventional residential buildings, usage patterns here typically are very diverse. Employees, customers, visitors, service providers and cleaning personnel all use the facilities – often simultaneously or in rapid succession – and with varying expectations in terms of comfort, functionality or hygiene.

Technical requirements also apply – from the German Drinking Water Regulation and VDI 6023 Part 1 – as do management targets relating to low operating costs, saving resources and long maintenance intervals.

Modern sanitary facilities for this type of building therefore need to enable the complex interplay of drinking water hygiene, user hygiene and comfort, sustainability and cost-effectiveness – as well as technical reliability.

Our Top 5 general requirements for administrative and office buildings

• Sustainability and saving resources: High rates of water consumption and water wastage eat into budgets and harm the environment, making sustainable solutions increasingly important.
• Robust, maintenance-friendly and durable: Sanitary equipment in administrative and office buildings must be especially resilient, and facilitate easy maintenance and cleaning. Robust materials will ensure a long service life.
• Representative design and visual appeal: In reception areas or visitor WCs, the design of the sanitary facility contributes to the building’s overall impact and the public image of the resident government agency or business. Well-lit, inviting and functional facilities leave a good impression.

Electronic WC and urinal controls

SCHELL also offers a hygienic and highly efficient solution for WCs and urinals: with the EDITION E WC control and urinal control, flushes are triggered automatically when the user leaves the WC or urinal, or when a hand enters the detection range of the infrared sensor. This not only ensures optimum user hygiene but also helps to save water. The vandal-resistant design of these robust, stainless steel fittings also makes them ideal for use in high-traffic areas such as administrative and office buildings. The EDITION E WC and urinal controls naturally come with support for the SWS Water Management System/SMART.SWS.

Showers and changing rooms

The shower panels in the LINUS series from SCHELL are ideally suited to use in shower and changing room facilities in administrative and office buildings. Their heavy-duty housing provides reliable protection against vandalism, while the pivoting front panel keeps maintenance and repairs quick and straightforward.

Depending on the model, the panels are available with a single-lever mixer, a self-closing cartridge or CVD touch electronics. In the variants featuring innovative ThermoProtect technology, integrated anti-scalding protection also ensures optimum safety while showering.

Utility rooms

For smaller utility sinks, which tend to be used only occasionally during cleaning work, SCHELL offers the WALIS E wash basin tap as an especially space-saving and functional solution. The fitting is perfectly suited to installation on tapping points with cold or mixed water, as are often found in basement areas or storage rooms. Thanks to its compact design, WALIS E dispenses with any additional supply lines or waste trap, which simplifies installation and keeps space requirements to a minimum.

Tip: All families of contactless, electronic fittings from SCHELL are capable of performing automated stagnation flushes. For fully integrated, user-friendly and efficient water management, they can also be seamlessly integrated into the SCHELL SWS Water Management System/SMART.SWS.

Efficient drinking water hygiene in administrative and office buildings with the SCHELL SWS Water Management System/SMART.SWS

In larger buildings with numerous tapping points – such as administrative and office buildings – maintaining drinking water hygiene can be especially challenging. This is where the use of an intelligent water management system can be beneficial. The SCHELL SWS Water Management System/SMART.SWS enables the centralised networking of all electronic fittings – whether wired or wirelessly – and handles the automated execution of stagnation flushes based on time- or temperature-based rules. This is an effective way to prevent Legionella from rising to critical levels.

Compared with manual stagnation flushing, SWS offers several advantages. Automated flushes conserve resources, as less water is consumed, and are also cost-effective, as they do not require any additional deployment of personnel.

The cloud-based SMART.SWS solution provides building operators and facility managers with global remote access to all of the networked SWS systems in their properties, including all fittings and sensors. Users can monitor operating data online in real time, manage stagnation flushes and make targeted adjustments to parameters. This not only keeps personnel costs to a minimum but also enables more efficient and predictive maintenance planning. 

At a glance: benefits of SCHELL products for renovations to administrative and office buildings

• Optimised user hygiene: Contactless fittings reduce the risk of infection
• Maintaining drinking water quality: Automated stagnation flushes (optionally networked with SWS/SMART.SWS) safeguard drinking water hygiene and the maintenance of specified normal operation
• Sustainability: Electronic wash basin taps cut water usage by up to 70% – and therefore also the energy used to heat water
• Cost-effectiveness: Robust materials, durable quality, simple maintenance and decades of availability for spare parts
• Design: Modern and timeless design language ensures a high-quality fit-out

Planning or renovating administrative and office buildings with SCHELL

Standards are high for sanitary facilities in administrative and office buildings – SCHELL offers a range of advanced solutions for the planning and fit-out of renovation and new development projects. BACS planners and building operators benefit from a comprehensive portfolio of electronic fittings, well-designed hygiene functions and long-lived product quality, safe in the knowledge that they can easily meet the requirements for user and drinking water hygiene, sustainability and operating efficiency.

Talk to our experts: Contact our team today to obtain information and advice about the optimum solutions for your administrative or office property.