A sleek, accessible tap meets a powerful, efficient underbench system. Billi’s Quadra system defined a new benchmark in water appliance design.
two
main subsystems
$3.5k
suggested retail price
TL;DR
Bayly partnered with Billi to develop the new Trio tap and contributed to the design of the Quadra underbench system. Together, they delivered a compact, energy-efficient water appliance with a modern, ergonomic interface that redefined Billi’s product identity and set a new design standard still visible in the brand today.
Billi pioneered underbench combined boiling and chilled taps in the ’90s. In 2006, Bayly helped shape a bold new era for the brand’s design language.
The Brief
Billi engaged Bayly to create a new bench-mounted tap that would define the visual and functional identity for its next-generation water appliances. The result. Trio. The new Quadra underbench system would launch alongside it, combining aesthetic innovation with ergonomic access, regulatory compliance, and energy efficiency.
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Why Bayly?
Bayly was brought in for its ability to fuse compelling industrial design with practical engineering. Billi needed a partner who could craft not just a sleek new interface, but one that worked across materials, manufacturing methods, and user standards. From pressure die-casting and injection moulding to sheet metal and thermal plastics, Bayly’s cross-discipline team helped bring the Trio and Quadra to life, managing user-centric design while collaborating with Billi’s internal teams on compliance, testing, and supplier integration.
The Project
In 2006, Billi set out to launch a new generation of high-performance water dispensers. It needed more than an upgrade; it required a flagship tap that could carry the brand into the future. Bayly was engaged to design the new product: Trio.
Trio was more than just a delivery point for water; it was Billi’s new interface with customers. The goal was to create a tap that was contemporary, intuitive, and inclusive. The final design featured softly sculpted forms and prominent, ergonomic levers. These levers were carefully designed to guide intuitive operation and comply with Australian accessibility standards. Bayly’s team developed the Trio through rigorous concept iteration, physical form studies, and ergonomic modelling, ensuring both beauty and functionality.
While developing Trio, Bayly was also brought in to assist with the design of the new Quadra underbench system, a highly compact, electronically controlled unit combining boiling and chilled water filtration in a space-efficient format. The system featured an LCD interface for diagnostics, user guidance, and filter maintenance, an innovation for the category.
One of the Quadra’s key differentiators was its integration of Billi’s patented thermodynamic Heat-Cell. This component absorbed waste heat generated during water chilling and repurposed it to preheat the boiling cycle, dramatically improving energy efficiency. Bayly worked closely with Billi to ensure the housing, internal assemblies, and insulation (including high-R-value expanded polypropylene) met performance targets while supporting efficient production.
Bayly also helped simplify subassemblies and reduce component complexity to streamline servicing and reduce cost-of-ownership. While Billi led implementation, testing, and regulatory certification, Bayly’s role was to ensure every design element, from the tap interface to underbench enclosure, could be manufactured at scale, met safety standards, and supported a premium user experience.
Services supplied to Billi Integrated Systems
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Product research and concept generation
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Sub-system architecture and configuration
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Industrial and ergonomic design
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Interface development and prototyping
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Mechanical design and 3D CAD modelling
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Material and manufacturing consultation
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Functional prototyping and testing
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Design for compliance in regulated water systems
Supplier liaison and tooling readiness
Outcomes
Trio and Quadra launched together as a new flagship system that helped solidify Billi’s market leadership and visual identity. Trio’s elegant, curved form became a defining part of Billi’s product DNA, so much so that subsequent products over the next two decades referenced its silhouette and design language. The Quadra system remains Billi’s leading underbench platform, continuously updated and improved. Bayly’s foundational design work set a standard that remains influential across Billi’s product ecosystem and helped position the brand as a premium, technically sophisticated alternative to its major competitor, ZIP.
FAQ's
Designing for accessibility means creating interfaces that work for all users, including those with limited mobility or dexterity. For Trio, this meant sculpted levers with intuitive form cues and compliant control feedback, ensuring performance across commercial and domestic environments.
In regulated industries like water systems, industrial design goes beyond aesthetics. Bayly’s work integrated features that supported hygiene, thermal insulation, and usability, while collaborating with Billi on testing protocols and safety standards throughout.
Products like Trio don’t just serve users, they signal brand values. Its distinct, curved form became a signature of Billi’s design language for years. Consistent, recognisable product aesthetics build customer trust and create long-term brand equity.
