REQUEST # 8290122
The One-Day Bathroom Renovation Challenge
Opportunity
Total opportunity for this Challenge is up to € 80,000 in cash plus possible collaboration contracts. Mitros
is a Dutch social housing corporation, owning 29,000 apartments and houses in the cities of Utrecht and
Nieuwegein. Their aim is to offer the best accommodation to the residents. By renovating 1,000
apartments every year, customer satisfaction is kept at a high level.
Timeline
Opening Challenge:
Submission Deadline:
Announcement of Finalists:
Final Demonstration:
September 29th, 2016
December 1st, 2016
February, 2017
Q2, 2017
Financials
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Up to 4 respondents will be awarded an initial recognition up to € 10,000 each.
The 2 most promising proposals will be invited to demonstrate their solution and will receive an
additional recognition of € 20,000 each, covering all work costs. If successful, further collaboration
may be available, i.e. piloting at a larger scale.
Mitros offers a potential volume of up to 1,000 bathroom renovations every year which counts for a
contract value of up to € 5M per year
Mitros is a member of Aedes, the national organization representing almost all social housing
organisations in the Netherlands managing 2.4 million homes, and is offering the submitter the
opportunity to present/propose the solution to other Aedes members.
For questions and comments, you are welcome
to contact us at the SOLUTION PROVIDER HELP DESK:
Manager: Tom Vranken
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-216-283-3901
Visit us at https://ninesights.ninesigma.com/web/mitros
REQUEST DESCRIPTION
NineSigma, representing Mitros a Dutch social housing corporation based in the city of Utrecht,
invites proposals for innovative approaches that can substantially accelerate the renovation process of
bathrooms in social apartments and houses. Ultimately the ideal solution will speed-up the renovation
process of the bathroom from seven days to only one day, greatly reducing the amount of nuisance to
the residents.
ABOUT THIS CHALLENGE
Participants in this challenge will submit proposals for the Mitros Bathroom Renovation Challenge on the
Challenge website. Full or partial solutions from all industries and technical areas are welcome.
Participants in this competition vie for up to 4 €10,000 recognition. The 2 most promising finalists will
have the opportunity to demonstrate their method by renovating one or more bathrooms for Mitros. The
2 finalists will be rewarded with a second recognition of €20,000 each, which covers all work costs. The
objective of the demonstration projects is to confirm proof of concept of the proposed solutions. The
Offices: Cleveland - USA, Tokyo - Japan, Leuven – Belgium, Melbourne – Australia, Seoul – South Korea
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NineSigma Request # 8290122
The One-Day Bathroom Renovation Challenge
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winning respondent(s) will have an opportunity to sign an agreement for further collaboration, providing
the winning respondent to enter into a mutually agreeable business relationship with Mitros.
Participants must complete the proposal and submit it by December 1st, 2016. The proposal submission
will serve as the official entry in this Challenge. The submission should contain a non-confidential
introduction to the respondent’s concept, background and expertise.
The proposals will be evaluated before end of 2016, and participants may be contacted by the
evaluation committee for clarifications. Finalists will be announced in February 2017.
BACKGROUND OF THE CHALLENGE
Mitros is a Dutch social housing corporation owning 29,000 rental apartments and houses in the cities of
Utrecht and Nieuwegein. Recently Mitros started an innovative project called “Expeditie Doorbraak”
(“Expedition Breakthrough”). The aim of this project is to minimize the inconveniences that occur during
the traditional renovation process. A major challenge of renovating apartments is the renovation of
bathrooms. In general these bathrooms vary in size and can be as small as 3m² with a basic set-up
(shower, toilet, sink).
The four main challenges that the Challenge wants to solve are:
a) Accelerate the bathroom renovation process, preferably down to a single day.
b) Lower the amount of hindrances, i.e. dust, noise, out-of-order time, which occur during
renovations.
c) Lower the renovation costs.
d) Solve the technical challenges associated with the renovation of the soil & waste stacks.
Solving these challenges will enable the renovation of individual bathrooms, whereas now the
renovations are performed for entire building blocks.
KEY SUCCESS CRITERIA
The proposed solution should meet at least one or more of the following criteria:
a) Accelerate the bathroom renovation process
 Significant reduction in the duration of the renovation, preferably to 1 day only
 No or limited effect on the functionality of the bathroom, e.g. its size, practical interior design
 Partial solutions are also of interest
b) Lower the amount of hindrances
 Significant reduction in the amount of dust caused by drilling/stripping/notching, preferably
dustless
 Significant reduction in the amount of noise caused by drilling/stripping/notching, preferably
noiseless
 The technology should be usable in rooms which can be as small as 3m²
c) Costs should be comparable or lower (after development) than a traditional bathroom renovation
(average of €5,000 each bathroom) The total cost of ownership must at least be equal, preferably
improved, due to cost avoidance, time reduction, even if that implies an increase in for example
materials cost.
d) Enable some customization to each resident’s taste and give residents flexibility in the timing of their
bathroom renovation (series-of-1)
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e) Solve the soil & waste stacks challenge (cfr. Appendix) as less radical as possible, preferably
without drilling/grinding
Note: In general all solutions should be maintenance free for 20 years and easy replaceable due to the
recurring process of renovating the bathrooms.
The ideal solution would address all objectives (a, b, c, d and e) leading to more satisfied residents.
Mitros is also interested in suggestions and ideas that might help in providing a partial solution. Partial
solutions do not have to meet all criteria and may require further development, for example a solution
that is suitable only for the soil & waste stacks will be interesting and thoroughly evaluated.
Proposals will provide supporting evidence that it can meet these criteria.
FINANCIALS/ BUSINESS TARGETS:
 Up to 4 respondents will be awarded initial recognition up to € 10,000 each.
 The 2 most promising proposals will be invited to demonstrate their solution and will receive an
additional recognition of € 20,000 each, which covers all work costs. If successful, further
collaboration may be available, i.e. piloting at a larger scale.
 Mitros offers a potential volume of up to 1,000 bathroom renovations every year which counts for a
contract value of up to € 5M per year.
 Mitros is a member of Aedes, the national organization representing almost all social housing
organisations in the Netherlands managing 2.4 million homes, and is offering the submitter the
opportunity to present/propose the solution to other Aedes members.
Technology readiness:
 Ideally able to do a pilot project or a proof of principle in second quarter 2017.
POSSIBLE APPROACHES
Full or partial solutions are welcome from all industries and technical areas.
Proposals might include, but are not limited to:
 Lean Construction principles
 Approaches which significantly reduce the amount of renovation (working) hours
 Digital measuring, 3D-printing
 Prefab panels or alternatives which can be assembled in advance
 Alternative disassembly methods, e.g. ultrasonic, waterjet
 New materials/adhesives which significantly lower work load and drying time
 Materials with a lifetime of at least 20 years and easy replaceable afterwards (circular process)
 New construction processes
 Methods which avoid intensive dismantling
 Solutions that do not significantly affect the functionality of the bathroom by for example reducing the
bathroom size, an illogical interior design, etc.
RESPONDING TO THIS CHALLENGE
All entries must be submitted online at NineSights, the NineSigma open innovation community,
according to the online instructions. Supplemental files may be submitted as well. Everything that is
submitted is part of the entry.
Entries from companies (small to large), research institutes, consultants, venture capitalists,
entrepreneurs, or inventors are welcome. For example:
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The One-Day Bathroom Renovation Challenge
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You are an academic researcher working with a company to commercialize novel renovation
methods which should meet the needs of this challenge
You are a company specializing in 3D production and have a technology that can be adapted to
meet the challenge requirements/goals.
You are a company with stripping technology that should provide a solution but that requires further
development.
Appropriate entries will respond online based on the template provided for this Challenge, and address
the following:
 High level description of proposed technology
○ Abstract
○ Working principle
○ Technical data that demonstrate performance
○ Limitations of technology
○ Technical maturity (concept, prototype, commercialized)
 Remaining technical challenges
 Time estimated to implement on site
 Business model, including overview on how the system is run
 Examples of test on similar installations
 Team experience and relevant experience
By submitting a response, respondents agree to the submission terms described in the response form,
the Terms and Conditions and all of the following submission requirements, including confidentiality,
selection, and the review processes:
Confidentiality
Respondents confirm that their submission does not contain any confidential information.
Selection / Review Process
Respondents acknowledge that Mitros reserves the sole and absolute right and discretion to award
recognitions as stated in the Challenge, including awarding up to 4 respondents. The entry evaluation
and award determination will be made by an internal team of Mitros and an external jury.
See Terms and Conditions for details. Challenge opens September 29th 2016. Must submit at least one
entry by December 1st, 2016 to be eligible.
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APPENDIX
BACKGROUND
Mitros is a Dutch social housing corporation, funded by the Dutch government, that offers affordable,
quality homes to people with a reduced income. They own 29,000 rental apartments and houses in the
cities of Utrecht and Nieuwegein. Mitros is one of the 375 members of Aedes, the national organization
representing almost all social housing organisations in the Netherlands managing 2.4 million homes. In
order to meet the quality standards, these social homes require to be renovated on a regular basis.
However, this renovation process practically hasn’t changed in the past decades. Hence, Mitros recently
started an innovative project called “Expeditie Doorbraak” (“Expedition Breakthrough”).
The idea behind this project can be summarized in 3 words: “Faster, Better, Cheaper”.
Faster: Renovations put tenants under a lot of stress. In some cases residents need to move out of their
house for a certain period of time or they have to live in a dusty, noisy house until the renovations are
finished. By shortening the renovation time, the exposure to these inconveniences can be reduced to a
minimum.
Better: Nowadays entire apartment blocks are being renovated simultaneously, which is not always
appreciated by all tenants. For example, if one bathroom requires renovation, all other residents will be
affected as well due to the fact that soil & waste stacks in the entire building will be out of order for a
certain period of time. If we could find a solution for this problem, Mitros would be able to offer a “seriesof-1” service where the tenants can be put in the driver seat. This would allow them to decide when the
renovation can take place, without affecting the neighbours, and what the interior of the apartment (to a
certain degree) will look like (“renovation-on-demand”). This customized approach might create more
ownership and lead to an higher acceptance towards the inconveniences renovation can cause (for
example dust and noise). Furthermore, by minimizing inconveniences, and by delivering good quality
renovated apartments the tenants satisfaction is expected to increase.
Cheaper: Cost reductions are an additional driver for innovating the renovation process. Today, Mitros is
spending € 100 million every year to maintain the quality of the homes they are offering. Lowering the
costs for every particular apartment would result in an increase in the amount of apartments that Mitros
could renovate every year.
As a summary, the ultimate goal of this project is to renovate the interior of the apartments on demand by
the tenant (series-of-1), while keeping the tenant’s and their neighbours’ satisfaction high and lowering
the renovation costs. For all the previously mentioned reasons, Mitros is searching for innovative
processes and products which improve the renovation process.
This challenge focusses on bathroom renovations, the most challenging part of renovating an
apartment. These bathrooms can vary in size, and can be as small as 3 m² with a basic set-up of shower,
toilet, and sink. The current bathroom renovation process involves several steps performed over a week
as described below.
Current renovation process (7-days)
The 7-days during renovation process includes:
 Stripping the entire bathroom, i.e. removing the sanitary and bathroom fittings, wall coverings (tiles),
floor, outdated piping system and sometimes asbestos containing sealant materials. (2 days)
 Renewing the systems (inclusive soil & waste stacks) for electricity, drainage, water, heating and
ventilation purposes. (1 day)
 Plastering and retiling the bathroom. (3 days including 1 day of drying)
 Installation of ventilation, drains and heating system to the new piping system and installation of
bathroom furniture and fitting. (1 day)
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Stripping the bathroom
The lefthand picture demonstrates the degree of stripping the bathroom. This means that all the outdated
furniture, the shower, toilet, sink etc., will be removed first. In case of a leaking floor, this will be removed
as well. Secondly tiles, cables and pipes will be removed from the wall.
Renewing the piping system
In the past, some parts of the drainage system, the heating system, electricity lines and other pipes were
not necessarily installed into but rather against the wall (pipes still visible). To meet current standards,
these pipes are removed and channels notches are cut in the wall. In the process, the new pipelines, e.g.
for ventilation, and wires will be installed into these channels. Cutting the channels using the current
procedures/technologies creates an excessive amount of noise and dust. Perhaps, the most challenging
part is the renewal of the soil & waste stacks (more detailed description below).These soil & waste stacks
are used to remove sanitary waste water and can be damaged/oxidated over time.
Plastering and re-tiling
After installing the new pipelines and wires into the wall and floor, plastering will take place. Plastering and
retiling necessitates a long waiting/drying time. By significantly shortening the drying times, the renovation
process could already be shortened by at least 1 day. Ideally, the new proposed solution will dry fast (if
the technology requires drying), and will be easily removable when needed (recurring renovation cycle of
20 years).
Installation of bathroom furniture and other equipment
To finalize the renovation process, all furniture such as toilet, shower, sinks and bathroom cabinet have
to be installed. Fixing them to the wall may require some drilling and sealing.
CHALLENGES
Renovation-on-demand (Series-of-1)
Currently Mitros decides when the renovation of an apartment or bathroom needs to take place. This can
lead to dissatisfied tenants. Some tenants do not see the need for renovation or do not want the
inconvenience of renewing their bathroom, while for others the renovation doesn’t fit into their routines or
schedules. To avoid this, Mitros would like to offer the possibility to renovate-on-demand. This will give
the tenants the possibility to choose when their apartment/bathroom will be renovated. To achieve this
certain hurdles need to be overcome.
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a) Accelerate the renovation process
Currently, the renovation process takes at least a week. Lowering the ‘out-of-order’ time of the bathroom
would have a positive influence on the now unpleasant experience to which the residents are being
subjected. By accelerating the process, preferable down to a single day, the inconveniences would be
more acceptable, even if the amount of dust and noise would stay the same. Transferring some of the
work, which is currently being done in the bathroom, to a distant location, e.g. the factory, would already
have a tremendous accelerating effect. Additionally, in the ideal situation, the amount of inconvenience
generated during the renewal would be minimized too.
b) Hindrance during renovation process
Dust and noise are classic examples of inconveniences that come along with renovations and which might
result in dissatisfied residents (and neighbours). Especially the removal of tiles and the drilling and grinding
to remove the old pipes and install the new systems, are major sources of nuisance.
Furthermore, the drying time needed after plastering and retiling extends the duration of the complete
renovation.
c) Soil & waste stacks
One of the biggest hurdles in apartments is the soil & waste stacks system used for waste water removal.
These pipes become very often oxidized or damaged over time and need to be changed. The illustration
shows what a typical downpipe system looks like.
Currently, the soil & waste stacks and the bathroom are renovated simultaneously. Practically, renovating
the soil & waste stacks means that the original drain which has been installed through the floor of the
apartment, (left) will be replaced by a drain which is installed through the wall of the bathroom (right). This
requires drilling which creates inconvenience for the neighbouring tenants.
One of the biggest hurdles is that if the drains for one bathroom are being renovated, the ‘main’ soil stack
to which this particular bathroom is connected, needs to be renewed as well. To do this, all the walls of
the bathrooms connected to this soil & waste stack have to be opened up. Renewing one stack implies
that all other bathrooms connected to this stack cannot dispose their waste water. Today, this is the major
factor which makes it impossible to renovate a bathroom completely in series-of-1, without affecting the
other tenants.
Note: The renovation of the entire bathroom and the replacement of the soil & waste stacks could be
performed separately.
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