HydroTap above all others!

Zenith HydroTaps are providing the ultimate in drinking water convenience to staff and clients at 30 St Mary Axe, often referred to as the 'Gherkin', in London - the ultimate in architecture on the London Skyline.

The Gherkin is home to (among others) Kirkland Ellis, a large corporate law firm on the 22nd floor, representing global clients. Within its intricately designed atria, several breakout areas have been specially constructed offering the opportunity for rest, relaxation and refreshment.

Kirkland Ellis considered various options for the provision of boiling and chilled drinking water, but felt that working in such an innovative environment they should consider the design value of any such products and so decided on the HydroTap.

The Gherkin, which has already become visual shorthand for the Capital and marks an evolution in architecture, is one of the city's most innovative buildings, both in terms of its aesthetics and eco-friendly services. The design maximises daylight and natural ventilation so that it uses 50% of the energy typically required by a similar sized office block. The HydroTap sits very well with this rationale since all of its functions are energy-efficient, designed to conserve power and therefore delivering cost and environmental savings. Research by Aston University showed the Zip HydroTap to be up to 40% more energy efficient than a kettle.

Contractors BPR Interiors installed BC150/175s, the largest of the boiling and chilled models and suitable for the provision of drinking water to up to 75 people. The product can be mounted either at the side of a sink as in fig.1 or on the specially designed tap font and drain as fig.2. This means that the designer has total flexibility when they are siting the HydroTap and can, if required create dedicated drinks areas.

HydroTap is available as boiling and chilled, boiling only or chilled only. All are supplied with a sophisticated submicron filtration system that delivers quality drinking water, removing bad taste and odour and limiting the effect of limescale. If the system is used in a hard water area, Zenith (known as "Zip" in the UK) also have a special filter that will eliminate limescale completely (up to 3000 litres).

There is a facility to activate a safety lock on the boiling side and sleep and timer modes that mean the HydroTap is up to 40% more energy efficient than a kettle used under the same conditions.