Aquarium 'Sheds' Water Usage

challenge: Welcoming nearly two million guests each year, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is not only home to 32,000 animals, but also a popular location for local business meetings and events. So when the Chicago institution required an upgrade to its commercial restrooms, its goal of water efficiency and saving were top of mind.

Devoted to its vision of a world thriving with aquatic life, sustained by people who love, understand and protect it, Shedd is a leader in the rescue and rehabilitation of aquatic wildlife across the world. Not only that, but the aquarium located along the banks of Lake Michigan is working to set the standard for conserving water and energy in an effort to restore the health of the Great Lakes.

Sloan was tasked with providing fixtures that would do more than just stand the test of time, but to also extend Shedd Aquarium’s brand where it had never been before—its restrooms. The brand and logo have become recognizable throughout Chicago for decades due to its long-standing commitment to the community. And by implementing Sloan’s new custom feature to engrave its brand on the crown of its 42 new BASYS faucets, Shedd added an increased level of visibility to differentiate its 87-year-old brand. Shedd’s polished chrome BASYS faucets now bring a luxurious and elegant aesthetic to its restrooms, while also meeting sustainability demands with various flow rates, integral water supply shut off and sleep mode settings.

The aquarium met its water efficiency and durability objectives head on, in part by installing UPPERCUT retrofit handles to complement all of its 80 flushometers throughout the facility. Designed to reduce water volume by up to 30%, the flushometer that is recognizable for its green handle, provides two flush options—pushing the handle down for a full flush (1.6 gpf) or lifting the handle up for a reduced flush (1.1 gpf)—to help Shedd continue its mission toward water conservation. Busy weekends often see up to 10,000 people going in and out of the aquarium’s restrooms, and the UPPERCUT retrofit kits come equipped with two metal wall plates to educate users about the product’s water conservation abilities on a daily basis.