Background

54 Mary Street is an office building nestled in the heart of Brisbane. Spanning over 22 levels, it was no small feat for bureau^proberts to carry out a retrofit of the public washrooms. As part of the refurbishment of male, female, and ADA Accessible washrooms across numerous floors, bureau^proberts had to source a large selection of soap dispensers that would be readily available in large quantities - and ideally, in a particular matte black finish. ASI JD Macdonald were perfectly positioned to provide the solution.

Challenge

One of the project's main challenges was the fact that the tenants were staying in the building throughout the retrofit. That meant the sourced products had to be delivered in a timely manner to ensure the project could be completed on time. Prompt delivery could be unachievable because the production schedules of soap dispenser manufacturers drastically increased due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

However, that wasn't the only hurdle—the hygiene requirements concerning COVID-19 had to be considered in redesigning the washrooms to ensure they were safe and easy to use. “With a lot more emphasis on how people are using soap dispensers, hand towels, and hand dryers, there had to be more thought behind the proposed solutions rather than selecting the traditional paper towels or wall-mounted soap dispensers,” explains Saskia Ruins, bureau^proberts' Associate Director.

Solution

ASI JD MacDonald is Australia’s largest single supplier of hand dryers and washroom accessories - and their EZFill^TM multi-feed soap dispensing system, which is vanity mounted and automatic, was the perfect choice for the Mary Street project.

“Mounted on a vanity, the spout of the dispenser is directed onto the sink, which means any spillage of the soap goes directly into the sink, rather than on the vanity or on the floor,” says Saskia, as she talks about the advantages of ASI JD MacDonald products. “What's more, there are three sinks in each of the washrooms, and they're all linked together. They can be filled using a fill port mounted on one side of the vanity, filling all the soap into one tank that then feeds all three dispensers at once, which is very convenient from a maintenance point of view,” she adds. As they are automatic, they are sensor activated and don't need to be touched to dispense soap - yet another advantage of the product that enhances the project.

As a part of the global ASI Group, ASI JD MacDonald was able to draw stock from its parent company in the US, which accelerated the ability to supply the product on time. They were also able to offer the right color and finish to match the selection of matte black faucets and mirrors, resulting in hygienic, convenient, and aesthetically cohesive spaces.