DDA Applied to Street Furniture: Drinking Fountains
It is vital to ensure that public amenities cater to the diverse needs of all individuals. This article explores the implementation of the Australian Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and Australian Standards 1428.2 in the design and installation of accessible drinking fountains in the public realm.
The DDA makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person in many aspects of public life, including accessing public places, because of their disability.
Street Furniture Australia’s Arqua Fountain is suitable for people using wheelchairs, and is also comfortable for people with a disability who are on their feet, according to independent testing by Mark Relf, Access Consultant with Accessibility Solutions.
Where AS1428.2 generally assumes a front-on approach to a drinking fountain, the Arqua Fountain provides a wider range of access for wheelchair users through a side-on approach.
Underside clearance is a necessity for people who use wheelchairs. AS1428.2 recommends a range of 640-650mm above the ground. Arqua provides even greater variation for users, with clearance of 680-900mm on the standard model. Where children are focus users of a site, such as in playgrounds or schools, Arqua can be tailored to a child-friendly height.
Arqua Fountain wheelchair circulation approaches and access paths, total area 3600x1800mm.
Arqua Fountain tailored to a child-friendly height.
To celebrate the unveiling of the Piatto Chair at our annual product launch party with AILA NSW in Sydney, Jazz at The Mint, clients were invited to enter this quirky contest. The competition called for teams to incorporate Piatto Chairs into an ‘Awkward Family Photo’ portrait, for a chance to win Piatto Chairs of their very own. Congratulations to the creative crew from Yerrabingin, who delivered the strongest awkward family vibes on the night. Highly commended goes to the entrants below, and the full photo gallery from the event is available for viewing. Please contact marketing@streetfurniture.com if you would like to request a high res file to print and frame for your best room.
Clients from Sydney, Adelaide, California and Texas joined Street Furniture Australia and AILA NSW to celebrate the unveiling of new products on March 14, 2024, with margaritas and live music. Jazz at The Mint is an annual product launch held at The Mint, an iconic site in the heart of the Sydney CBD. It is an elegant affair and a unique opportunity to connect with landscape architects and built environment professionals at a global scale. This year’s party featured the new Linea Planter System and upcoming Piatto Chair, a single-seater hybrid between cafe and robust public space furniture – available now for specifications. The gathering was opened by Uncle Allan Murray, representing the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council, with speeches from: Ben Stockwin, AILA CEO, acknowledged the 10 year relationship with …
The Street Furniture Australia factory, in Regents Park, Western Sydney, is both a manufacturing hub and R&D studio for our Australian-designed and made street furniture products. We run fun and informative group events for customers throughout the year, to share how products are designed, tested and built, and the latest products and projects. This tour is open to design specifiers such as landscape architects and architects, and place custodians including Councils, government agencies, developers and other place managers. Director of Tract Julie Lee said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to look behind the scenes and understand the innovation, research and climate positive outcomes Street Furniture Australia is focusing on. Thank you for having us!” Place Design Group Associate, Liam Isaksen, said: “The factory tour is a fun …
Under the Australian Disability Discrimination Act 1992, known as DDA, public places must be accessible to people with a disability. The DDA is relevant to many aspects of street furniture. This article focuses on two products: Why is DDA important? DDA is part of universal design, which places human diversity at the forefront so places meet the needs of all users, regardless of age, size, disability or ability. It ensures that public spaces can be enjoyed by everyone. Ageing populations worldwide further increase demand for accessible design, to help people navigate and move through cities independently and in comfort. According to the UN’s World Population Prospects: the 2019 Revision, the number of people aged 80 years or over is projected to triple, from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million …
StreetChat delves into Jan Gehl’s iconic book ‘Life Between Buildings’ to bring you a summary on how to place seats in the city. “Only when opportunities for sitting exist can there be stays of any duration,” he says. Seats are crucial to the success of a public space. The good news is that they are a relatively cheap and easy to install solution for improving an outdoor environment. Point 1. Location, location Good opportunities for sitting mean people can comfortably eat, read, people-watch and socialise. And this can only happen when conditions are just right. Gehl advises: A comfortable relationship to the sun and wind creates a good microclimate, essential for sitting. Benches placed in the middle of open spaces may look good in drawings, but on site can feel …
Also see our 2019 article: ‘How to Apply DDA to Street Furniture: Seats and Tables.’ Architect and design expert Ron Yuen explains DDA compliance in relation to Street Furniture Australia’s design and manufacturing processes. What is the DDA? The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (‘the DDA’) makes it against the law for public places to be inaccessible to people with a disability. A person with a disability has a right to have access to places used by the public. New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia have each developed transport action plans and strategies with a commitment to accessible transport compliant with the DDA and Transport Standards. The Transport Standards requires all modes of public transport in Australia to be accessible by 2022 and has minimum compliance milestones to be …
