Designed for the Worst CaseZurich’s water supply

Frontendconf Zurich - 28 August 2015

by Memi Beltrame

Awesome Zurich!

Zurich has an awesome water supply

Mineral water quality!No added chlorine etc.

Actually, we have two water supplies

Several sources, feeding two completely separate systems.

One system for the households

One for these fountains: Zurich’s emergency water supply

If the household system gets polluted, these fountains are

the backup system.

These fountains are a great piece of design. Kids can drink standing on the elevation on the right, dogs have their own bowl on the left.

But they look really impractical to fetch water by the buckets.How’s that a backup system?

The fountains can be opened and reveal a hydrant that is used to attach a hose and distribution pipes.

Design Award winning functional fountains

Why am I telling you this?

Design for desaster, failure and worst case.

Design for desaster, failure and worst case.

for no javascript, low bandwidth, flaky connection, offline,

inconsistent content, user input…

So whenever you design anything:

Think of these.

Thanks!

I’m @bratwurstkomet

Credits: Title image: Samuel Rayman, Frontendconf Zurich panorama: zurich.com Aerial view: Bering AG http://www.bering.ch/de/referenzen/aktuelle-projekte/wasserversorgung-zurich Fountain in winter: Samuel Fausch http://www.panoramio.com/photo/16786706 Centered fountain: Dolores Linggi http://zuri.net/magazin/1544/stadtsichten-februar.htm Opened fountain: http://www.alt-zueri.ch/turicum/brunnen/notwasserbrunnen.html Distribution: Stadt Zürich https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/dib/de/index/wasserversorgung/brunnen/Notwasserbrunnen.html