Design of the Mât Source cooler island
For WaterConnect in 2020
THE CONTEXT
- Water Connect is an innovative company that specialises in the design and creation of connected, playful and environmentally friendly cooler islands. Its ambition is to be a key player in the fight against extreme heatwaves and urban heat islands (UHIs). The goal is to participate in building the sustainable cities of tomorrow.
- Water Connect won the first edition of the Water Innovation Challenge (Défi Innovation Eau) in Paris. It wanted to provide a response to Section 2 (Challenge No 2: Inventing the universal water fountain of the 21st century) of the 2020 edition.
- In the context of this competition, Water Connect called upon Coopérative Mu to design the water fountain of the 21st century, incorporating the environmental aspect and a universal design into the concept.
OUR INTERVENTION
- Analysis of the environmental and material issues for a water fountain
- Analysis of design issues (universal design, usage, ergonomics, style, functional and technical)
- Formalisation of the selected concept by integrating user data and good eco-design practices to ensure the environmental relevance of the chosen solution
- Production of communication visuals and realistic renderings to enhance design work.
THE AIMS
- To identify the eco-design and universal design issues of a water fountain in an urban setting
- To propose a concept integrating eco-design, style, use and ergonomics issues in their design together with a universal design
- To formalise the concept and provide elements in relation to the eco-design approach.
THE RESULTS
- The “Mât Source” concept won the “Universal Water Fountain of the 21st century” competition of the Paris water authority, Eau de Paris.
- The first Mât Source® universal water fountain was installed at 10 rue Émile Blémont in the 18th arrondissement of Paris on December 2021. A total of 10 water fountains have been installed in 2022.
- A drinking fountain for all – adults, children, disabled people and even pets – and also equipped with a bottle filling system, the Mât Source® model chosen by the Paris city authorities will also allow for cooling in periods of hot weather thanks to its integrated misting.
- The water fountains are also accessible to visually impaired people, with instructions in Braille.
- As it is online, the Mât Source® universal water fountain allows the Paris water authority, Eau de Paris, to control it remotely (temperature readings, water consumption readings.
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