Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum and MIW

Drawing more than 5.2 million visitors annually, the Natural History Museum is one of the UK’s most popular tourist attractions. In February 2019, it was selected to be the recipient of a #OneLess London Drinking Fountain Fund public water dispenser. MIW Water Cooler Experts were the official supplier.

The Brief

For this project, MIW would be required to work closely with both the Natural History Museum and the #OneLess Project Management Team to ensure that the needs of both parties were answered. This would involve:
 

  • Providing advice on product specification, logistics and installation.
  • Identifying a water dispenser that was as environmentally friendly as possible, in line with the Natural History Museum’s sustainability ethos. Easy to use, and easy to access for all, including wheelchair users. Capable of serving a large number of users. And complied with the UK’s strict water authority guidelines.
  • Customising the selected unit to carry the branding of the #OneLess campaign and its London Drinking Fountain Fund collaborator, the London Mayor’s Office.
  • Liaising with both the Natural History Museum and #OneLess to arrange a suitable installation timetable that would cause minimum disruption to the visitors and staff of the museum.
  • Providing ongoing servicing, sanitisation and maintenance of the unit as and when required.

The Process

The two main priorities for this project were to ensure that the most appropriate water dispenser for the site was installed, and that it was installed in a place that would attract a high volume of use without detracting from the Natural History Museum’s aesthetic.

Having carried out a site inspection and worked with the Natural History Museum’s Project Management Team to clearly ascertain their requirements, MIW recommended the installation of an indoor bottle refill station. The Halsey Taylor HTHBSM-WF – HydroBoost Filtered Bottle Filling Station Surface Mount was deemed the most appropriate dispenser for the selected location.

The HydroBoost is small and unobtrusive, and yet visually appealing. Its hands-free operation makes it extremely easy to use for people of any language and varying physical ability. The unit has a rapid refill rate, with mess-free laminar flow and 20 second automatic cut-off, helping to avoid spills. While an inbuilt drainage system prevents any accidental waste stagnating. As with all equipment supplied by MIW, the HydroBoost is WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) approved, guaranteeing compliance with all water authority and UK Government health and safety guidelines. The unit is also GreenSpec Listed, thanks to its low energy consumption and measures to cut water wastage. Lastly, a ‘green ticker,’ which counts the number of bottles refilled by the unit is built in to allow the public and staff to see the difference the refill station is making.

Once the bottle filler had been selected, MIW customised it with #OneLess and London Mayor’s Office branding, before arranging a suitable installation time.

Throughout this project, MIW repeatedly liaised with Project Managers at both the Natural History Museum and the #OneLess Project to ensure that all needs were understood and met.

The Completed Project

The Natural History Museum’s public bottle refill station was installed in February 2019. The installation was carried out exactly to plan, with no unexpected obstacles.

MIW Water Cooler Experts continue carry out a regular servicing, sanitisation and maintenance routine to ensure that the unit remains functional and fit for purpose.

The bottle filler can be found just inside the Natural History Museum’s Exhibition Road entrance.

Who we work with