Rialto Towers’ 70 million litre annual water consumption is expected to be reduced to 49 million litres – a reduction of almost one third of the annual usage – following a toilet suite upgrade.
Melbourne’s Rialto Towers has undergone a toilet suite upgrade to reduce water usage. Rialto’s two towers hold 94 tenanted floors with 608 toilets used by approximately 3500 people every day, which resulted in an annual water consumption of over 70 million litres.
During investigations to find a solution to reduce water usage and increase the development’s NABERS rating, the facility’s old wall hung pan toilet suites were identified as a major issue as they made upgrading to a commercially available environmental model problematic. “We couldn’t source a wall hung toilet pan that could achieve a WELS 4.5 litre flush, leaving floor mounted toilet suites as the only option for the upgrade. However, the varying floor heights in the bathroom meant extensive refurbishments were needed in order to retrofit the existing models,” John Vaughan, Rialto building services manager, states.
Rialto worked together with GWA Bathrooms & Kitchens to develop a unique floor-mounted toilet pan, enabling a reduction in the cost and the acceleration of the process. With a flexible inlet and outlet connection, the new toilet pan could be used at any floor height, while at the same time boasting a WELS 4.5 rating for water efficiency.
The building’s 70 million litre annual water consumption is expected to be reduced to 49 million litres – a reduction of almost one third of the annual usage. Since 2010 almost 90 floors have had their toilets upgraded from the existing 11 litre flush toilet bowls with 4.5 litre systems, with the remaining floors expected to be completed in 2013.
