THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN PARTNERS WITH URBAN+ FOUNTAINS & FURNITURE

In previous years, only ambient temperature water stations had been provided at the tournament but attendees were always wanting a chilled option to help quench their thirst on hot tournament days.

Tennis Australia had strict requirements for the new hydration system with its chilling capacity being a key priority. Over one million people attend the tournament over three weeks so ensuring that the selected product could manage this high-volume use was crucial.

Along with the product’s chilling capacity, the chosen product also had to be AS1428 compliant, able to be placed on uneven surfaces, safe to install in a public environment and capable of being stored and used again in future years.

The AO’s strict brand guidelines also meant that the aesthetic look and feel of the fountain was also a key determining factor as to which product and supplier they ended up choosing.

THE PARTNERSHIP

Prior to being contacted by Tennis Australia, Urban+ had recently released a brand-new chilled hydration station called the CF400. This product has three bottle refill points and three bubblers all connected to chilled water and was designed specifically for the high-volume environment of Australian schools.

After some initial conversations between the Urban+ team and Tennis Australia, it became very clear that with a few customisations the CF400 could meet all of the clients needs and help provide event attendees with exactly what Tennis Australia wanted.

Adjustable feet were able to be added to the product to ensure it could be installed on uneven ground, a wheelchair accessible/DDA basin was added to the side of each unit, and custom weighted legs were designed and installed to ensure the station would stay in place, even if misused or vandalised.

Not only this, but due to the nature of the AO being only one of four Grand Slam tournaments globally, strict project deadlines had to be met.

THE RESULT

Urban+ was able to deliver 47 customised CF400 products on time and to the delight of the AO event organisers. All tournament attendees were able to enjoy chilled water free of charge and the need for single-use plastic drink bottles was greatly reduced, helping to incorporate sustainability. Urban+ was also able to utilise circular economy design principles into the final products to ensure that they can be used at multiple tennis tournaments for many years to come.

Tennis Australia’s Event Infrastructure Lead, Jade Johnson, was thrilled with the final result saying;

“The chilled water stations that Urban+ designed and manufactured were of the highest quality, and they have been a valuable addition to our facilities to significantly increase the accessible drinking points across the site and reduce our reliance on single-use plastic water bottles. I would highly recommend them to anyone in need of similar services, and I look forward to working with them again in the future” 

To find out more about visit Urban+ website via the links below