Redoing the loo
A competition to redesign the restrooms in Marquette’s popular 707 Hub brings out the best in students
By Shelby Williamson
A s one of the most creative spaces on campus — with its 3D printers, sewing machines, pitch stage, whimsical swing bench and mission of bringing together students from a range of majors in the name of innovation — Marquette’s 707 Hub could be excused for having restrooms that were, well, outdated and uninspired. And for several years, it was.
But leave it to the team behind the hub and partners at Kohler Co. to address that shortcoming with a collaborative learning experience. Starting in the spring, 21 students from different disciplines began competing in Redo the Loo: 707 Hub’s Restroom Redesign Challenge, working in teams to test their problem-solving, concepting and design-remodeling skills in service of a bathroom revamp for the space that’s home to the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at Marquette.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, they also had to change up their collaboration in unexpected ways. But the teams delivered, producing a range of imaginative ideas and a winning design that raises the design bar. When renovations get underway with support from Kohler Co., as soon as this summer, the 707 Hub will get a set of restrooms that match its mission — one each emulating the left and right sides of the brain.
Redo the Loo served as both an engaging educational experience and a highlight of a centennial celebration honoring Marquette’s 100-year partnership with Kohler Co. Championed by Marquette’s Office of Economic Engagement and Kohler Co., that celebration included a delegation from campus traveling north in February for Marquette at Kohler Day. A planned Kohler at Marquette Day planned for April had to be canceled because of coronavirus precautions, but was set to engage Kohler Co. representatives in an innovation tour, classroom discussions and Redo the Loo activities.
Fortunately, students from the competition’s four teams were able to join Marquette colleagues for the day in the Village of Kohler and made full use of their time there. They toured Kohler’s factory, the KOHLER WasteLab and Design Center and took part in the first of several sessions with professional mentors from the company who were assigned to each team. Throughout the challenge, these mentors offered advice on design trends, amenities and special requirements such as Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, ensuring designs were suitable for all users.
Along the way, teams explored ideas that went far beyond tile selection and color schemes. Some featured lounge areas, others a fish tank, a putting green, an archway, elements of nature and sustainable materials such as antibacterial flooring and energy-saving lighting.
Team Lavatory’s Katie Revelis, a mechanical engineering senior, says her team knew they had an innovative idea that transcended a typical bathroom fix-up. “Our concept represents the way our team came together and worked collaboratively, even remotely,” Revelis explains. “When we started brainstorming, some wanted a simple, elegant design and others wanted something more fun and fluid. Our interests showed the different ways we think, which made us think of the different sides of the brain. Our design captures both.”
As the pandemic required students to stay home and made on-campus collaboration impossible, Team Lavatory charged ahead with its work. “With all of the changes with coronavirus, we were all worried about what it would mean for the competition. Other things have been canceled,” Revelis says. “But we stayed connected using group chats and FaceTime.”
“Our concept represents the way our team came together and worked collaboratively, even remotely.”
In late April, they and the three other teams presented their designs in virtual pitches to judges including Kohler Co. executives. Team Lavatory’s “sides of the brain” concept was declared the winner. As a result, when renovations are complete, the left-side bathroom will have an analytical style with a matte black-and-white color scheme, geometric shapes and high-tech bath fixtures. The right restroom will be colorful with a whimsical feel complete with Kohler’s emerald green tile made of recycled material.
Elisabeth Sutton, a director of marketing at Kohler Co. who served as a challenge judge, applauds the special attention Team Lavatory paid to user needs by providing hooks for backpacks, charging stations for electronics, and clocks, all while applying a fresh design to the existing space. “They took a unique approach, reflecting the fusion of analytical and creative environments in the 707 Hub,” she adds.
Tanya Lulloff, Kohler’s global director of human resources and an internal champion of Redo the Loo, says she and the judges from the company were pleased the experience inspired participants, while serving as a fitting way to celebrate the valued 100-year partnership.
“This unique opportunity was a developmental experience for students, which they can carry into their professional careers,” she says. “They worked in teams, performed through adversity and expanded their perspectives beyond their selected discipline.”
Students’ collaboration with Kohler Co. counterparts gave them valuable, real-world industry experience, says Megan Carver, Comm ’08, associate director of the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship at the 707 Hub. The unveiling of the restrooms, she says, will be a perfect ending to the challenge and a reminder to future students that inspiration and innovation can strike anywhere.
