Universal Fountain Mât Source®

Last modified by the author on 07/11/2022 - 09:31
  • Year of commitment : 2021
  • Address 1 - street : Maison du projet du Village des athlètes (SOLIDEO) 93400 SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France
  • Digital services : Water, Health, Comfort, Resilience
  • Water cycle : Collection
  • Circular economy and waste management : Circular economy, Eco-Design, Optimization of ressources

  • 8 990 €
  • Builder
    WATER CONNECT
  • Manager / Dealer
    TERRITORIAL COLLECTIVITY

Modular and scalable, the Mât Source® Universal Fountain is an oasis of coolness designed as both a place to refresh and a landmark in urban centers.

A drinking fountain for everyone, including animals, Mât Source® provides a shaded space where the air is cooler thanks to a misting system.

Remote connected fountain: completely autonomous, without any energy source, with temperature and water consumption readings, as well as remote control of operating hours and winterization.

A street furniture style fountain that can be easily deployed at key points in the city, Mât source® focuses on the well-being of its users. Encouraging an active lifestyle, it is a relay point for joggers wishing to refuel in water, as well as a landmark for passers-by.

The modularity and lightness of Mât source® make it easily deployable on a city scale, and adaptable to different water access points.

The possible difficulties of the user in front of the fountain or the risks were identified in collaboration with the APF Lab. The use of the fountain goes far beyond the user seeking to refresh himself, it also takes into account the needs of the services ensuring maintenance.

Modularity, scalability and accessibility 


The base common to all models guarantees access to drinking water and hygiene for all with an integrated soap dispenser. From this base, 3 different and complementary variations are possible depending on the location and expectations. Indeed, additional modules can be assembled to ensure even more pleasure and freshness to users (a module including an interactive misting and a module to provide shade).

The recovery of the water lost from the fountain can be led to an evapotranspiring floor based on shell paving stones, thus transforming the Mât Source® fountain into a real Oasis of Freshness.

The fountain's ergonomics and dimensions have been designed to adapt to different user contexts, with controls that can be accessed both standing and seated and the integration of Braille. The layout allows 4 people to access the fountain simultaneously. Supports, especially for people with motor difficulties, have been integrated as well as a symmetry of the basins making them usable in both directions (facilitating the use of right and left handed people).

Autonomy 


All the modules of Mât Source® (water, misting, shade) work without any external energy source.

Communication and interactivity


This is one of the key points of the innovation of Mât Source®.

This new functionality is in fact twofold, as it involves :

  • A remote control and supervision system to facilitate and make more efficient the intervention of public services for the operation and maintenance of fountains: control of the operating hours or remote winterization.
  • Remote data acquisition: temperature, water consumption, rain sensor, absence of liquid soap with alerts, etc. for monitoring and detecting anomalies.



Sustainable development 


Mât Source® is part of a sustainable development and eco-design approach. Water Connect called on the Mu Cooperative, an innovative eco-design agency, to identify the environmental impacts of a fountain in an urban environment in order to provide relevant eco-design solutions for Mât Source®. All stages of the fountain's life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to the end of its life, were taken into account in the study. It revealed that a large part of the impacts of a fountain are borne by the steel and brass technical elements present in the structure. In addition, a sensitivity test found that extending the life of the fountain would minimize its overall impact.


The unused water is also collected in the technical foot and flows into a water tank in the ground. This water is evapotranspired through the shell pavers and refreshes the lower part of the fountain.


Mât Source®, which becomes a real Oasis of freshness.

Progress Status

Delivered

Data Reliability

Self-declared

Funding Type

Private

Website Enterprise / Infrastructure

 https://waterconnect.fr/2021/09/27/water-connect-expose-a-lurban-fest/
 https://waterconnect.fr/2022/05/20/inauguration-de-la-fontaine-universelle-mat-source-pres-du-canal-saint-martin-a-paris-19/
 https://waterconnect.fr/2022/09/08/village-des-athletes-maison-du-projet-installation-dune-fontaine-mat-source/

Sustainable Development

    The Mât Source® universal fountain is the result of the Eau de Paris "Universal fountain challenge" competition for which we are the 2020 winner.
    The parties involved in the competition are Eau de Paris, Ville de Paris, SOLIDEO, EPT Plaine Commune.
    It completes the experience of the company Water Connect on the design and manufacture of Oases of freshness, playful, inclusive, intergenerational, connected and respectful of the environment.
    The Mât Source® universal fountain was developed in partnership with Eau de Paris, the Cluster Eaux Milieux sols and the APF Lab Association des Paralysés de France.

    The 7 principles of universal design have been placed at the heart of the process. Data relating to users, uses and contexts of use were included in the study with a dual objective of comfort and efficiency.

    Tolerance and flexibility of use:

    • Rounded edges, no elements that could cause danger
    • Possibility of leaning against, especially for people with motor difficulties
    • Symmetry of the washbasins making them usable in both directions, also suitable for right-handed and left-handed people

    Refreshment:

    • 2 drinking basins
    • 1 bottle filling system
    • 1 misting system
    • 1 shade house
    • 1 evapotranspirant floor
       

    Orientation:

    • Arrangement allowing access to the fountain for 4 people simultaneously


    ​​​​​​​Signage:

    • Understanding of graphically induced use
    • Assistance in positioning the bottle
    • Integration of braille

     

    Sizing:

    • Adapted to different contexts and users
    • Buttons accessible while sitting or standing


    Pets:

    • 1 drinking system

     

     

    The Mât Source® universal fountain is intergenerational.
    Water is life. The fountain creates by its originality and its multiple uses a real place of meetings, exchanges, life.
    Accessible to everyone, children, adults, disabled people and pets, the Mât Source® universal fountain emphasizes the well-being of residents and makes the city more inclusive.

    Eco-designed according to the 7 principles of universal design, the Mât Source® universal fountain allows  to recover water not used for drinking or filling up bottles, to be stored under its technical base and to cool the ground by evapotranspiration thanks to its shell pavers.

    Autonomous and connected, without any external energy source, it makes it possible to manage water consumption remotely and to integrate into the management of water on the plot.

    The Mât Source® universal fountain has been the subject of several calculation notes concerning the static analysis of the structure under accidental loads following several assumptions and resistance to natural risks, in particular EUROCODE 1.

    To limit its environmental impact, Water Connect called on the eco-design agency Coopérative Mu, which carried out an environmental impact study of the entire life cycle of Mât Source® (from resource extraction to end-of-life). The study revealed that the most significant sources of environmental degradation associated with the fountain are the steel and brass technical elements present in the structure.

    The company is therefore counting on the durability of its structure and the lifespan of the product to reduce this impact. As street furniture, the Mât-Source® fountain is designed to last at least 10 to 15 years.

    What's more, many of the fountain's components are of recycled origin, and sized to the strict minimum required to limit material consumption. The structure is manufactured and assembled in the Paris region.

    The Mât Source® buttons are timed, and the fountain features pictograms and messages for the public to raise awareness and encourage them to reduce their water consumption.

    Unused water is stored directly in the ground via its technical base, and is used to cool the floor made of recycled shell pavers through evapotranspiration. Water is therefore no longer wasted.

    Finally, thanks to the remote control, it is possible to control the operating times of the fountain and misting system, to limit resources.

    According to Water Connect, the water consumption of the Mât Source® Universal Fountain during the summer months (July/August) amounts to 5 m3 per month for an entire neighborhood. By way of comparison, a family of 4 in Paris consumes an average of 12 m3 per month.

Testimony / Feedback

    "The people of Pré Saint Gervais appreciate the universal Mât Source® fountain installed in Pépin square.
    It attracts curiosity and people are satisfied with it. Kids love it."

    Sofiane GUEZI, responsible for the control of the works of public spaces Ville du Pré Saint Gervais.

    General public users seem very satisfied with the fountain.

    Sébastien DELAMARE, head of the Maison du Village Olympique et Paralympique project

Governance

    WATER CONNECT

    Private Company

    WATER CONNECT

    Other

    TERRITORIAL COLLECTIVITY

    Public

    The Mât Source® universal fountain is an investment, with rental to follow.
    Designed and assembled in our workshops in Valenton (94), it is made in France.
    Annual maintenance is carried out by us and by a local distributor.

Sustainable Solutions

    Sol évapotranspirant

    In order to integrate a water management solution into the plot, Water Connect, in partnership with Alkern, has developed a system for recovering unused water from its Mât Source® universal fountain, turning it into a veritable Oasis of Freshness.

    Unused water flows via the technical foot into a water reserve under the fountain in hydrocyl®, and through evapotranspiration the freshness of the water rises to the surface of the ground thanks to the draining paving stones themselves made of shells. No more water is lost, and the water is reused for passive cooling.

    The draining shell pavers are made from recycled oyster or scallop shells.

     

    • Water management

Photo credit

WATER CONNECT

Additional information (PDF documents)

Websites

 https://waterconnect.fr/

Reasons for participating in the competition(s)

  • Eco-conçue selon les principes de la conception universelle ;
  • Emprise au sol limitée ;
  • Développée en partenariat avec l'APF Lab et accessible à tous ;
  • Indications en braille ;
  • Système modulaire : fontaine de base, brumisation, ombrière, et sol évapotranspirant ;
  • Gestion de l'eau à la parcelle ;
  • Oasis entièrement autonome, sans aucune source d'énergie extérieure ;
  • Système connecté à distance pour une optimisation de la ressource, s'intégrant parfaitement dans la "Smart City" ;
  • Dispositif multi-usages et multi-services.
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 urban planning water eco-design smart city Green Solutions Awards Green Solutions Awards 2022 2023
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