Think Like A Custodian

Design a rec center with the end user in mind for greater functionality

By Craig Bouck and Jason Ringdahl
Photos: Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture

When I first began architecture school, I was a naïve 20-something anticipating lectures revolving around the greatest minds in architecture—Louis Kahn, Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, and Frank Lloyd Wright. I walked to my first lecture, inspired and eager to learn the secrets of these legends. 

Instead, I was met with a dose of reality. I listened to my professor say, “My best piece of advice for you is to think like a custodian.” He explained that no one else understands how every piece of a building fits together, knows how the materials behave in the weather, and sees how the building’s usage changes over time.

While I was not anticipating that advice, hearing his philosophy of beginning with the end in mind shaped the architect I became. Now, 30 years into my career and specifically designing recreation centers, I am constantly inspired by how trends, community demands, and other external factors can change or shift a building’s original intent. I consistently strive to anticipate these influences in order to create versatile, adaptable, and flexible facilities. Custodians have their finger on this pulse of change.

The firm I work for, Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture (BRS), has always been sensitive to who has a seat at the design table and who does not. Over the years, the firm has made great strides in developing and utilizing different tools that encourage more critical players to join in design conversations. I’m just not talking about planners or directors. We seek a wide variety of input from IT managers, avid pickleball players, lifeguards, and many more resources. However, the one group we still struggle to interact with is custodians. We want the right people in the room at the right time, and for a custodian the invitation needs to be extended very early on. The worst scenario is excluding the custodial team from design workshops entirely. I’m often frustrated by this, and each time I find myself repeating my former professor's words of wisdom. 

Rather than wallowing in my frustration, my colleague Jason Ringdahl and I decided to ditch our desks and spend several days with recreation-center custodians. What we learned inspired us and changed our design considerations for the better, and now we’re seeking to share and educate others with our findings.

After spending time in five community recreation centers of various ages and sizes, and having conversations with more than 10 custodians, we uncovered simple recreation hacks that anyone can employ. Our research focused on five main areas: 

• Recreation

• Community

• Aquatics

• Lockers

• Support spaces.

Recreation

For gym-flooring deep cleans, put in a plug. Many people know that gymnasium floors should be refinished annually. Typically, this job is outsourced since it requires heavy-duty, specialty equipment that needs 220 volts of electrical service. After watching contractors lug in a large generator year after year and spending precious time setting it up—a job paid for by the hour—John, one of the many custodians we spoke to, had the genius idea to install a 220-volt plug in the gym. The result? Lower floor-finishing bids each year and an overall simpler process. Plus, he can rent the equipment without worrying about a generator during the year to do in-house spot treatments, mid-year clean-ups for events, or post-summer camp. A simple change, that cost under $1,000 to install, has led to long-term benefits. 

Protect the walls from weights. Many locations we visited were still adopting physical changes due to COVID. One was the relocation of weight areas, either spreading them out or moving to a more freshly ventilated space. A good idea in theory had unexpected consequences—new scuffs and damage to the walls, since they were not originally planned to accommodate pieces of weight equipment. Chilson Recreation Center in Loveland, Colo., decided to install metal panels to protect the walls; this is another simple solution, easily implemented, and can be removed or moved with little cost or effort.  

Community

Use a leaf blower for hard-to-reach indoor play structures. One of my favorite “hacks” is the MacGyvered solution picked up from a custodian at The CORE in Hobbs, N.M. This facility features a huge play structure of two stories in the middle of the building. Given the centralized location, everyone views it constantly, including the custodian, Annabelle, who noticed all of the hard-to-reach dusty spots. Her solution? A battery-powered leaf blower. Workers begin at the top, blow the dirt down to the bottom, and vacuum it up.  

Provide party-room cleaning closets. Another top-of-mind concern with all of the custodians we visited was the time it takes to gather the cleaning supplies, schlep them to the room in need, then put them back. For a birthday-party room at The CORE, Annabelle lost a half hour just preparing to clean. We came up with the idea of adding a small cleaning closet in high-usage rooms, or spaces far from the building's central janitorial closet. This solution allowed for faster room turnover, and in Annabelle’s case opened more rentable times for a birthday-party room and additional accessibility for community members and income for the center. 

Aquatics 

Use camouflaging colors. What’s a custodian’s favorite color? Soap-scum gray. It can effectively camouflage hard-water spots by just the painting of slide towers, stairs, etc. a light shade of gray. Avoid dark colors at all costs. 

Make easy-to-clean louvers. Another “ah-ha” moment happened at Loveland Recreation Center while chatting with Eric about the center’s return-air louvers. In the past, screw-on/off features were tested, so they could be removed, cleaned, and then returned. While that has worked well, it is still a cumbersome task that often requires more than one person. Eric’s suggestion was to install the large ones on side hinges. This facilitates cleaning the outside and inside with only one staff member. 

Lockers

Provide water access. An additional hose bib is required by code inside most locker rooms in the U.S. BRS has strategically put these underneath lavatory countertops to hide their appearance and provide what we thought was a convenient location. We learned that the custodians must crawl on their hands and knees on the dirty floor to attach the cleaning hoses. After additional investigation, we suggested adding hot- and cold-water hose hookups within a recessed, secure box located in the shower area, lifting them off the floor, and providing more cleaning power. 

Shed the shower curtains. This debate occurs in every recreation center. Shower curtains become damaged and dirty very quickly, no matter what you do—soap scum, mold, rips, and tears—and are a constant maintenance issue. Instead, lose the shower curtain and design the stalls large enough to include an adjacent, separate drying area, accessed by one solid privacy door (like a bathroom stall). Chant with me now, “Bring the curtain down!”  

Support

Provide storage on top of storage. We always advocate for extra storage on top of extra storage because it will be put to good use, and we found custodians advocate for the same approach. Cleaning products, supplies, carts, machines, etc. all add up. The challenge is empty storage space is often the first building area that gets cut when budgets are tight and value-engineering exercises begin. Don’t let that happen; allocate space for necessary supplies during the design process.

Also, outsource custodian services need lockable space to separate supplies. Discussing storage and long-term custodial goals during design are required for the most efficient layout. 

Don’t forget the bench. Workbenches are rarely included in the design of a recreation center, and we learned custodians are adding them after the fact. Planning for one from the beginning will make custodians’ lives much easier. Pro-tip: we also learned a bench is the place where many custodians eat meals or take a break. Anything you can do or add (proximity to a window, for example) to make this a more enjoyable experience, the better.  

Not A Janitor, Much More Than A Custodian 

One of the biggest takeaways during this journey was realizing how much care goes into the work performed by custodians. They truly care about the building, how it looks and functions, and the people who use it. Yes, custodians are responsible for janitorial tasks, but they take on much more than keeping a facility clean. The word “custodian” fits into this mantra, translated as a person who has responsibility for or looks after something. They are the keepers of these centers—the ones who pour their heart and soul into the upkeep and play a large but often silent role in creating an excellent customer experience. 

While it may not be possible to implement these solutions overnight, try shifting your mindset or the culture of the facility to be more empathetic toward custodial staff. I promise the benefits will amaze you.  

Looking for more suggestions? Feel free to email us. 

Craig Bouck is a Partner and Principal for Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture. Reach him at (303) 455-1366, or craigbouck@brsarch.com.

Jason Ringdahl is a Principal for BRS. Reach him at (303) 455-1366, or jasonringdahl@brsarch.com.