CASE STUDIES Return to list of case-studies A Quest for Quality - Slough Ice Arena benefits from new water-efficient technologies. Since being the training ground for British ice-skating champions Torvill and Dean, Slough ice arena has maintained its reputation as one of the finest ice pads in the South of England and recently gained the Quest award for quality of leisure services. Quest is an award designed specifically for leisure centres that, amongst many other things, evaluates quality of service. Equipment, cleanliness, changing rooms and toilet facilities are rigorously assessed and a wide range of systems and procedures are incorporated to ensure the highest quality is being delivered. To meet the criteria for a Quest award, the toilet facilities at Slough Ice Arena had to be replaced, and a set of urinals for children also had to be installed. David Tomlinson, manager of Slough Ice Arena, was keen to take measures to make the new facilities as energy efficient as possible, and after much research, Airflush® waterless urinals, supplied by Green Building Store, were selected for the significant environmental benefits they could offer. The Airflush® urinal offers a unique waterless system, designed by Elemental Solutions, that avoids the use of expensive replacement cartridges, and uses a low-energy fan and well-designed bowl to maximise cleanliness and hygiene. David said, "Since achieving the Quest accreditation, we are keen to maintain our reputation as a leisure facility which provides services of the highest standards. One of the great things about the Airflush® urinal system, is that as well as being waterless it is also odourless and easy to maintain. This enables us to meet water-efficiency standards whilst still being able to offer our customers the best possible facilities." In addition to Airflush® waterless urinals, David also had a new lighting system fitted, which uses infrared sensors to detect whether the room is in use or not, and automatically switches the lights off when they are not needed. This ensures that energy is not wasted during quiet periods in the day when the facilities are not being used. Whipp Construction was responsible for completing the work needed to replace the existing facilities and installing the new urinals. Jason Whipp, director of Whipp Construction, was impressed with the how easy it was to install Airflush® urinals. He said "the urinals were so easy to install…we had no difficulties at all and I would certainly recommend them for future projects." Client: Slough Ice Arena, Tel: 01753 821555 Contractors: Whipp Construction, Tel: 0208 9047707 Supplier: Green Building Store, Tel: 01484 461705, www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk