LONDON TAP.

The Project

London:  built on the banks of the Thames, its households supplied with clean drinking water over the centuries by great engineering innovations including the 17th century New River and the modern day Thames Ring Main.  

But, out and about in 2012 Londoners are increasingly dependent on expensive and environmentally damaging bottled water.  Imagine instead a network of fresh, clean drinking water, available free of charge in London’s public spaces. 

The ideal location for the first London Tap is Meridian Square at Stratford Station; London’s newest major transport hub and the gateway to the Olympic Park.  Victorian philanthropists chose East London for some of their most exuberant drinking fountains such as the elaborate Burdett-Coutts memorial fountain in nearby Victoria Park.  East London - its energy, dynamism and also many problems – has been brought sharply into the public consciousness by the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, and the Games have also reignited enthusiasm for sport and healthy living.  Stratford is the perfect place to launch a London-wide initiative to bring free drinking water to the city’s streets and open spaces.

London Tap channels the spirit of Victorian civic values, manifested in a simple but distinctive style which can easily be reproduced across the city at low cost.  It is both a practical utility for all and a powerful symbol of the civilised modern city.