Kevin Smerdon is our resident Engineer here at Everhard and was the Lead Engineer and Designer behind the creation of EasyDRAIN Edge. We sat down to have a chat about how the concept of Edge came about, the design challenge and how it felt to receive the news that Edge had been awarded a Good Design Award Gold.

Jess: So tell me about some of the background info around the EasyDRAIN Edge design?

Kevin: It was originally requested by a customer, they were after a channel system or drainage system that was discreet. So therefore difficult to see. Our challenge was to deliver that, but still have adequate room for the water to capture through. We also wanted to utilise an existing product or existing drainage element but have a different way of laying it out.

So part of the design challenge was how do we do that? We had to consider the hydraulic capacity, the flow capacity, the structural strength, how it could be installed and maintained easily. We also gathered a lot of feedback from a variety of people such as end-users and installers on their requirements and installation processes

Our production team was also heavily involved in the process as we had to make sure we complied with all the applicable standards, especially AS/NZ3500 and AS3996.Creating an accessible system was also important and a requirement we set in the initial design. To succeed in this we introduced the Heel Friendly Insert which converts the system into an accessible and heel friendly system for pedestrian areas. This ensures the system adheres to AS1428 New Building Access and Mobility Design.

Jess: Tell me more about the manufacturing processes and how EasyDRAIN Edge is made

Kevin: We use five injection moulding tools to create the different grates (for the 1m length, internal and external edges, heel friendly insert and access pit) in combination with our EasyDRAIN Standard channel. We did this so we wouldn’t have to build more tools, so we’re leveraging what we already have.

Edge is also all Australian Made – from the design process to the suppliers we sourced for making the product itself, we chose local Brisbane suppliers in most instances. All components are 100% Australian made here in Geebung, and manufactured from 100% recycled polymer.

Jess: How does this product differ from other slot drains?

Kevin: Well it is much more discreet, being made from black polymer it doesn’t stand out as much as other brands. It also won’t rust, unlike other slot drains. The other systems in the market work with steel, so they will either rust or, to stop the steel rusting they opt for high-end stainless steel which is really, really expensive and Edge is not. It also has the versatility to cater to the different paver and tile heights. Our system can also be recycled after use instead of going into landfills and is made from recycled materials making Edge a sustainable system.

Jess: So the last thing I wanted to cover was the Good Design Awards – Edge just recently won a Gold Award in the Product Design: Hardware and Building category, how does that feel?

Kevin: Yes, yes we did, it’s really great for the product to win this. Firstly last year with our Sustainability Award nomination and now this! Couldn’t be happier. A lot of hard work and a lot of time from numerous departments went into the product and it’s great to see that it can be recognised for that!

To view the EasyDRAIN Edge Submission for the Good Design Awards: https://good-design.org/projects/easydrain-edge/