Red Dot Award winning design concepts – we want that portable mini washing machine, please!

Swash

Red Dot

Designer: Ronald Tan

Ronald Tan, a final year undergraduate design student at Lasalle College of the Arts was inspired by his mum when he designed Swash, a mini clothes washer.

"My mum still hand washes clothes," says Mr Tan. "I also noticed that there are individuals who have no need or space for a full sized washing machine, hence Swash was created."

Swash replaces the strenuous act of hand washing clothes by incorporating the washing process of a washing machine, delivering a similar result within a unit that is compact and portable. It makes use of the many pails or containers that most households have. The two components of Swash - the washing unit and the washing basket - can be detached to facilitate storage. The washing process mimics the washing machine and begins with the basket holding the dirty laundry. The process is streamlined as the basket is directly attached to the washing unit mounted on a pail. Three spring-loaded clamps secure and centralise the unit in place.

The control interface's simple and approachable design consists of only four buttons; start, stop, timer up, and timer down. Once washing commences, the basket moves in rotational motion. Once washing completes, the pail is emptied and Swash transforms into a dry spinner. The activation button located on Swash's handle indicates the hand position required to grab the unit in order to begin. The basket keeps the clothes in and filters the water out into the pail and with that, the process is complete. 

Piperine and Crystalline

Honourable Mention

Designer: Jonathan Saphiro Salim

Jonathan Saphiro Salim, an undergraduate at the Lasalle College of the Arts, is on a mission to make your kitchen countertop more exciting with his version of the salt and pepper grinders. Piperine and Crystalline come equipped with a cylindrical weight at the end of their spinning shaft. With this weight, the grinding process can be performed with only one hand. As the grinding process uses centripetal force, less effort is required from the user compared to conventional mills. The user only needs to move the shaft in a circular motion, and this causes the weight attached to the end of the metal frame to spin, activating the grinder. The refilling process is done simply by sliding out the semi-circular cylinder container. When not in use, the grinders can be neatly kept away in a specially constructed dock. 

Living Shelter

Honourable Mention

Designer: WY-TO and Pod Structures

What happens after a natural disaster strikes? Often, those affected find themselves without any shelter.

Singapore-based design firm WY-TO hopes to provide a solution to those affected by natural disasters. Its co-founder Yann Folian says: "We decided to use our skills to create a shelter solution designed specifically for the climate, geography, and cultural habits of South-east Asia." Nearly 43 per cent of natural disasters happen in the Asia-Pacific region.

His team created the Living Shelter, an affordable flat-pack capsule, designed to be easily shipped and assembled in any kind of tropical environment.

Inspired by the kampong house, Living Shelter has openings that ensure natural ventilation, roof eaves to protect from sun and rainwater, and legs to elevate the liveable area from the ground. The engineering system provides sturdiness and adaptability to hot and humid weather conditions.

All components and systems can be easily dismantled and reused separately in an entire new building on a more durable term. The Living Shelter offers privacy and security, as well as basic needs such as electricity, water and furniture. It includes a water bag for water collection; a built-in solar panel on the roof to charge electronic devices and provide light; and built-in foldable furniture such as bed, hammocks, shelves and portable furniture. These are all conveniently flat-packed. A custom-made folding mechanism was also created to ensure that the overall structure works correctly without the need for tools or special training for installation.

A prototype of Living Shelter is now on display at the Architecture Venice Biennale 2016, where visitors can experience it for themselves.

Adapted from an article written by Tay Suan Chiang for The Business Times