Drinking Water Dispensed in the Park Artfully
Client:
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (PCT)
Location:
Pittsburgh Cultural District, Pittsburgh, PA
Challenge:
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (PCT) had an idea – they wanted to dispense both still and sparkling drinking water in an ecological, and aesthetically pleasing way in a small downtown Pittsburgh parklet, and promote reusable drinking water bottles. This is just part of their goal to revitalize a downtown area of Pittsburgh and turn it in a Cultural Center to attract residents and visitors alike. They worked with a team of local architects, fabricators, event planners and an electronic lighting wizard for three years to design a distinctive piece of functional public art. They call it The Water Cube. Next they had to decide where to source the Cube’s drinking water fountains and water bottle filling stations. Since PCT had unique requirements for the park drinking fountains/bottle fillers, they turned to Filtrine for advice because it is the only custom builder of drinking water equipment in the US.
Solution:
Filtrine recommended two durable non-recessed stainless steel drinking water fountains, the 107-14s, for one side of the Cube. Because the Cube is not monitored, and PCT wanted to conserve water, Filtrine suggested two touchless B103 stainless steel bottle filling stations for the other two walls. Filtrine’s “Hands Free” sensor activated valves turn on only when the bottle is held under the dispenser, avoiding waste and cutting down on germ transmission. One B103 disburses sparkling water with the use of an internal carbonator and the second disperses still water. Maya Henry, City Design Editor of the NEXT Pittsburgh blog wrote “The artsy Water Cube dispenses [chilled still or sparkling] free water, first in the US.” See The Water Cube in action video.
Filtrine Equipment Used:
Two Filtrine 107-14 single stainless steel drinking fountains were installed behind the glass wall of the Cube onto single Filtrine mounting plates. The stainless steel bubbler projectors on the non-recessed fountains are included with standard Filtrine ADA-compliant remote “Soft-Touch” valves that only require 5 lbs. to operate. The two Filtrine B103 filling stations were built with optional “Hands Free” sensor-activated valves to dispense the still and sparkling water.
The photo (Courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural District) shows The Water Cube installed in the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust district with one of Filtrine’s B103 Water Filling Stations on the left and Filtrine’s two non-recessed 107-14 fountains on the right. Technical design and project management by Flyspace Productions.
For more information, contact your local drinking water sales representative.
