JCDecaux are currently deploying some 2,000 pieces dispensers throughout Paris public spaces.
These dispensers have a capacity of 5 litres, enough to deliver 3,300 doses, and they will be regularly refilled and disinfected by a dedicated JCDecaux service team. In total, some 6.5 million weekly instances of hand disinfection could be made possible thanks to dispensers fitted on JCDecaux urban furniture, thereby contributing to safer everyday travelling conditions for Parisians and visitors alike.

"Dispensers need to be clearly visible in the city, to make sure people notice them, whether they are using the bus system or just out walking in the streets. This is why dispensers are positioned to face the pavement rather than the road.

It is a signal advertising a sort of ‘hygiene stations’ available throughout the city.

Its design was informed by the necessity to combine a 5-litre hand sanitiser reservoir with a dispensing mechanism — in this case a push tap — that would not break down and that everyone would know how to use.

Additionally, steel tubes were a readily available industrial product easy to transform. Using the latest laser cutting technology, we were able to create this elegant notch cut-out to place the tap inside, leaving enough room for users to insert their hands underneath. We chose a very open, wide-angle shape for easier access and delivery of the solution.

The dispenser’s bright colour fulfils two functions: making it more visible in an urban environment and reflecting sunlight to prevent the solution inside from overheating. The bevelled cap is painted blue, a colour symbolic of hygiene.

The slanted top was designed to prevent passers-by from leaving cans or bottles on top of it, and to allow dust to be washed off by rain. Eventually, it should also be used for additional signage.
The device was much easier to fit on public toilets, as their proportions offered more than enough space to hold the reservoir.

I am happy to have had the chance to take this free commission to design a project for Parisians, visitors and all Paris lovers! It is a novel and singular object in the city. In an area as densely populated as Paris, the question of social distancing is crucial and urban furniture should be designed to meet a variety of needs; this project shows that a bus stop may also be used to promote hygiene."

Patrick Jouin