The standard for an international design competition to find "The Ultimate Drinking Fountain" for London's eight Royal Parks was so high that the nine strong judging panel have selected two winners. The winners Ben Addy of Moxon Architects for Trumpetand, and Robin Monotti Architects with Mark Titman for Watering Holes, were chosen from over 150 entries from 26 countries.
The winning designs were judged on aesthetics, robustness for life in a public park, ease of maintenance and installation, sustainability and environmental impact and affordability.
"I am impressed by the high calibre of designs and delighted that two British designers have emerged winners,from very strong competition across the globe," said Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. "As we look forward to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, I am sure Londoners and visitors alike will enjoy sampling our finest water next spring from one of the newly installed fountains in our great parks."
The judges felt that the Watering Holes design was very "Art-led" and the Trumpet strongly "Design-led" and thought that each, in its own way, held enormous potential for The Royal Parks. As the standard was so high, the judging panel finally decided to showcase both designs.
The competition is one element of a partnership between the Royal Parks Foundation, the charity for London's eight Royal Parks and the Tiffany & Co. Foundation. The £1million fountain restoration project called "Tiffany - Across the Water" has been funded primarily by a donation from Tiffany & Co. Foundation USA to the Royal Parks Foundation. The project aims to restore the Royal Parks' historic drinking fountains and to install new ones where old ones are beyond repair. As there is no off-the-shelf drinking fountain suitable for The Royal Parks Grade I listed landscapes, there was a need to find a simple, practical and aesthetically pleasing design through the international design competition, launched by the Royal Parks Foundation and Tiffany & Co. Foundation in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) earlier this year.