Case Studies

10 Reasons why architects choose Aquafil®

Our Aquafil® drinking water fountain and refill stations are popular with architects and city planners for a number of reasons. They encourage a healthy lifestyle, offer useful amenity for the public and can become defining feature points of any civic space.

 

Here are ten key reasons why architects should choose an Aquafil® product for their next civic project:

 

  1. A convenient source of great-tasting drinking water

Our product provides access to clean, safe, accessible drinking water. Why is that important? Because architects specify the amenities that affect the user experience, and making free drinking water available to the public is a wonderful amenity. Tap water in many parts of Australia is notorious for having a bad rep, even though it’s generally safe to drink. Many Aquafil® stations also include water filtration to cater for this.

 

  1. A place to gather at

Aquafil® drinking fountains and refill stations are great at providing a focal point for people to meet and gather. Our signature range of water drinking fountain and bottle refill stations also include signage panels, creating a distinctive and easily recognisable feature in any public space.

 

  1. Aesthetics

Our product line offers a range of designs to choose from. Architects can select from our wall-mounted Fresh Refill Station and Drinking Fountain range to our more unique Alpine Double Water Refill Station. Our designs are modern and practical, making them great additions to schools, universities, medical centres, and outdoor public spaces.

 

  1. Functionality

Architects choose our Aquafil® products because they are functional and well designed. Our signature line of water stations have been designed, engineered and assembled by our team in Sydney, and our years of experience in the industry is testament to our success.

 

  1. Environmentally Friendly

Our product line of refill stations encourages the use of reusable water bottles over single-use bottled soft drinks and water products. Single-use plastic drinking bottles is an inefficient way of delivering drinking water and has become a burden on our environment; the majority of plastic bottles are not recycled and end up in landfills every year. Australia alone spends more than half a billion dollars a year on bottled water. Having our line of drinking fountains and refill stations easily accessible can help alleviate our large use of plastic bottled water.

 

  1. Educational

Aquafil® stations are a great way of teaching environmental awareness. They facilitate the use of reusable bottles and encourage drinking more water over sugary soft drinks. Our stations incorporate customisable signage panels that help communicate this.

 

  1. Economical

Using a drinking fountain and refill station can save a person a lot of money. Architects love using our products because they provide a way for their users to save money on purchasing bottled drinking water or soft drink.

 

  1. Inclusiveness

Aquafil®’s products are easily accessible by anyone who needs it. Most of our range are child- and wheelchair-friendly, with DDA compliance. Our products have multiple points of access, and we have products suited to indoor and outdoor applications. And for pet lovers, we even have an added option of a dog bowl!

 

  1. Ergonomic

An architect also has to consider a person’s comfort when using their facilities and the items on it. That’s why they choose Aquafil®. Our drinking fountains are easy to reach, with buttons that are durable and comfortable to use. We have spent a lot of time developing suitable valve technology to make the product as long lasting and easy to use as possible. Our refill stations also provide ample space to put your water bottle in and work wonderfully.

 

  1. Taste

Our product offerings are also popular with architects because of the great taste of the water. Our optional filtering systems and anti-bacterial nozzles ensure that the water that comes out is clean, fresh, and tasty. A lot of time, tap water can have odd flavors due to the chemicals used as a disinfectant. Our additional layer of filtration removes all the impurities from the water so that it tastes like water and nothing else.

How drinking water has improved over the last 100 years

Mankind has faced the challenge of obtaining safe drinking water for millennia. Many cities were founded on rivers, as water was recognised as one of the key ingredients for sustaining a civilisation. In the last two centuries, in particular, society has developed a greater understanding of water quality through science and engineering principles. Providing safe drinking water has been one of the most important public health goals for countries internationally, and is undoubtedly one of the key contributing factors of global growth in human population. Today water filtration is taken for granted in many parts of the world, although there is still scope to improve this. Aquafil® water drinking fountain and bottle refill units make use of this technology, bringing clean, fresh-tasting water to public spaces.

 

So how is water prepared so that it is suitable for drinking?

Filtration is an important part of the equation when it comes to clean drinking water. The first recorded experiment for filtration in modern history is attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, who believed that using sand to filter seawater would purify it. His hypothesis proved to be incorrect, but it paved the way towards further studies on clean drinking water filtration, such as sand filters in 1804. This is one of the first steps in filtration.


After filtration, the use of disinfectants is required to clean the water for drinking purposes. In 1905, chlorine was first used as a primary disinfectant for drinking water in Lincoln, England. This was the first recorded use of chlorine as a permanent water chlorination technique. This method was utilised in Lincoln to replace slow sand filters when it was discovered that the filter was faulty and the water supply was contaminated. The chlorination method introduced by Dr. Alexander Cruickshank Houston fed a concentrated solution of chloride of lime to the water that was being treated. Eventually, chlorine gas was used to clean water instead, which is how countries such as the USA disinfect their drinking water.

 

For Australians, the government and water authorities use settling, coagulation, filtration, and disinfection techniques to provide safe drinking water through taps. They have to use sufficient disinfectants to stop any re-growth of microorganisms during the delivery of tap water through pipes. While tap water is generally deemed safe to drink in Australia, they can still contain many impurities, both natural and artificial, which can affect the taste.

 

Our Aquafil® water drinking fountain and bottle refill stations offer an additional level of filtration as an optional design feature. Our filters can reduce the chlorine taste as well reduce possible contaminants such as dirt, lead particles and asbestos fibers in drinking water. As an added benefit, our filters slot perfectly inside our water stations, protected and concealed from public view. Many stations also have the added benefit of anti-bacterial bottle refill nozzles that provides an extra layer of safety for users.

 

Water is a key factor in the wellbeing of our communities. Many cities and civilisations were founded around water bodies as it is a crucial resource for survival. Filtration of water has come a long way, especially in the last 150 years, with the advent of modern science and engineering. Aquafil® water drinking fountain and bottle refill stations make use of this, by offering high quality, accessible drinking water products available to the public with the latest in water filter technology.

Shellharbour City Council leading the way and reducing their ‘ecological footprint’

Case Study

November 21, 2013

Supporting sustainable living by reducing plastic waste

Challenge: Finding innovative ways to achieve the communities strategic plan 2013-23 objective relating to practicing sustainable living.

Solution:
– Installing a permanent water refill station and drinking fountain at Reddall Reserve on the Lake Illawarra foreshore
– Providing portable water refill stations at Council’s major events in key public places.

Result: Taking a step closer to being a leader in Environmental Sustainability by supporting and encouraging the community to practice sustainable living by reducing plastic waste from disposable drink bottles.

Shellharbour City Council is committed to being a leader in environmental sustainability.

In 2013 Council decided to purchase a number of aquafil™ portable water bottle refill stations to use at major community events. The aim of the refill stations was to support the local community in practicing sustainable living, reduce waste to landfill and reduce stormwater pollution.

In 2012 Council took advantage of a funding opportunity from Keep Australia Beautiful through its Beverage Container Recycling Community Grants, to install a permanent aquafil™ water refill station and drinking fountain at a popular picnic area at Reddall Reserve, on the foreshore of Lake Illawarra.

Both initiatives encourage the consumption of tap water, which has a much smaller ecological footprint than bottled water. These initiatives also encourage people to bring their own drink bottles and embrace the ‘refuse, reuse’ philosophy rather than the ‘throw away’ mentality. By filling up reusable water bottles, Council and the community are reducing the amount of plastic waste that ultimately ends up in landfill, water ways and oceans.

The aquafil™ units come with a range of optional features and water meters were installed on both permanent and portable refill stations to calculate the ongoing environmental benefits associated with drinking tap water instead of bottled beverages.

In addition to the display panels which allow for advertising on the refill station itself, Council has also purchased flags which read ‘Water Refill’ to draw attention to the units at events.

“We have only recently started using our aquafil refill stations and already it’s great to see the environmental benefits accumulating as each bottle refilled at the station is potentially one less disposable beverage bottle that will be consumed.

“We’ve also found children have really enjoyed the novelty of refilling their water bottles from the special refill station,” says Alison Mellor, Environment Officer Shellharbour City Council.

Council has also adopted the Illawarra Regional Food Strategy which describes how Illawarra Councils can work together towards a vision for a vibrant, sustainable local food system that is resilient, prosperous, fair and secure. Making fresh drinking water available in public spaces is one of the actions identified in this strategy and the provision of water refill stations helps achieve this action.

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Deakin University making its mark in water conservation

Case Study

August 29, 2013

Working towards its ‘Green Star’ goal

Challenge: Environmentally sustainable initiatives to help reach goal of becoming a ‘Green Star – Education v1’ enterprise.

Solution: Water refill stations and drinking fountains across three Deakin campuses.

Result: A sustainable initiative in the effort to achieve best practice water conservation.

Working towards its goal of being a ’Green Star – Education v1’ enterprise that integrates environmental sustainability principles into all of its operations, policies and activities, Deakin University has installed aquafil™ water refill stations and drinking fountains in key locations across three campuses.

This is one of several environmentally sustainable initiatives implemented by Deakin in an effort to achieve best practice water conservation, stormwater management and waste management practices, following detailed water audits that were undertaken at each campus.

Detailed research around accessibility was carried out to determine which water units would be best suited to the University’s needs.

aquafil™ offers a wide range of water refill stations and drinking fountains to choose from. As well as being wheelchair accessible, the units have a range of optional features, such as water meters to track usage, filtered or non-filtered options, dog bowls and display panels for advertising.

‘The units met accessibility requirements from an OHS perspective and the choice of optional extras made aquafil™ the perfect choice,’ says Amanda Neilson, Deakin University’s Senior Sustainability Officer.

Thirteen aquafil™ water refill stations and drinking fountains have been installed across three Deakin campuses – Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, Melbourne Burwood Campus and Warrnambool Campus.

The initiative, coupled with the ’Be Smart Choose Tap‘ awareness campaign, has helped encourage staff and students to refill their own drink bottles instead of purchasing water in plastic bottles, aligning with the University’s objective to reduce waste to landfill.

Melbourne is reputed for having some of the best drinking water in the world, but each year Australians still spend more than $500 million on purchasing bottled water. This means Australians are paying 700 times more per 500ml of bottled water than they would for tap water.

Not only are millions of dollars wasted annually on bottled water, the plastic waste that ends up in landfill, waterways and oceans has a severe impact on our environment. Plastic bottles, which take an average estimated time of 450 years to break down, kill our bird and marine life when they mistake them for food.

The installation of aquafil™ water refill stations and drinking fountains addresses a key feature in Deakin’s Strategic Plan LIVE the future: Agenda 2020, which provides the opportunity to extend the definition and practice of ‘sustainability’ to include economic, social and environmental concepts.

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