Clean water wins at Lexus Global Design 2020

The innovations showcased at the annual event (virtual, by necessity) comprised everything from ‘living walls’ to smart sewing machines

“The human race evolves by identifying problems and overcoming them.” Simon Humphries’ statement may sound like a truism, but it carries weight in today’s times. As the Head of Toyota, and a mentor of the annual Lexus Global Design — which fosters innovative ideas from up-and-coming talents across an eclectic range of disciplines, including fashion, technology and engineering — he has seen his fair share of ideas that can help shape a better future.

“The pandemic will stimulate a new take on many issues that we have taken for granted. Maybe we have to create a new way to experience touch between people?” he posits.

While the 2,042 submissions (from 79 countries) for the design awards’ eighth edition were conceived pre Covid-19, most of them “seem relevant here and now”. The integration of new material technology into design, such as a modular carbon sequestering air filtration system that’s assembled from 3D printed biopolymer scales, is one of the most impressive attributes this year. “The observation of the natural world, and utilising those properties to create simple, ingenious ideas [a portable body cleaner with a unique surface similar to a cat’s tongue] also impressed me,” he says.

Is AI the answer?


   •  Humphries believes there will be a doubling of entrants for next year’s awards (entries for 2021 are open now). And AI could feature prominently. “Much of product design today is static throughout its lifecycle. The car you buy will be exactly the same when you sell it in five year’s time. But the influence of AI will fundamentally change this equation. The product will ‘grow’ with the user, and change and improve as it moves through its product lifecycle,” he says, adding that many products that up till now have been “fundamentally isolated, will need to be designed as part of an optimised system. The connectivity and synergy between them will form a new user experience tailored to the expectations of that person”.

Going forward, Humphries feels the “influence of creativity will not only be limited to product design. The creativity to produce new medicines, find different ways to work and travel, to make new ways for people to communicate and feel secure will all be affected by the pandemic”.

With the winner announced a couple of weeks ago (the virtual selection was at the end of August), we look at the projects that stood out among the six finalists:

BellTower,Open Source Communities (Kenya)

Community-owned clean water collection and storage units

The winners of Lexus Global Design’s Grand Prix prize address one of the biggest challenges found in developing countries: that of contaminated water. Long treks to collect water, unending queues in front of unreliable taps, costly options for clean water (the bubble tops we depend on) are familiar to us in India. But today, access to clean water means more than just reducing waterborne illnesses. It also enables people in Kenya and elsewhere to wash their hands effectively and reduce the spread of Covid-19. “During the pandemic, we can empower 2.5 million slum residents in Nairobi and 39 million Kenyans without piped water,” says designer John Brian Kamau. The prototype not only encompasses a nuanced approach to rainwater gathering, decontamination, storage, and dissemination — the ‘build and operate solution’ will be shared as open source — but also expands the definition of design by addressing systems of finance for community projects.

Other noteworthy entrants:

Aqsa Ajmal, Pursewit(Pakistan)

Accessible sewing machine for the visually-impaired

When a friend got into a devastating accident and lost her sight, the industrial design graduate witnessed her struggle first hand. “After a while, everything around her seemed normal except for her; she constantly struggled. It become difficult to take advantage of opportunities,” she recalls. Ajmal’s response was to create a problem-solving product that would provide employment opportunities for those with similar afflictions. “Pursewit, with increased reliance upon touch and other senses to make its use more intuitive, provides an easier way to incorporate sewing skills into income generation,” she says, hoping it will be a stepping stone for further government action to improve the lives of those with disabilities. “Following sufficient user-testing, we will move towards production. We have identified multiple manufacturing companies within the industrial city of Sialkot.”

Yaokun Wu, FlashPak (China/USA)

Smart survival apparatus that helps in flash floods

Wu grew up in a flood-affected area in China and, over the past 30 years, saw “the number of people affected by floods grow due to accelerating sea level rising and global warming”. His solution is simple yet effective — a life jacket that’s easily accessible in high-risk areas. “It would be installed on lamp posts. Using the innate buoyancy of life vests, [these will] rise with the water level and remain accessible at any point during a flood,” he says. Wu was inspired by the old Chinese tradition of yaozhou (calabash boat) where people tied calabashes around their waist to cross rivers. “The idea is to take something from nature and use it as a tool. It’s just three actions: garb, carry, float.” Next year, he will be exhibiting it at the Milan Design Week.

Garrett Sutherlin Santo, Biocraft (USA)

Carbon sequestering air filtration system assembled from 3D printed biopolymer scales

“Biocraft is a collection of natural materials that attempts to transform everyday objects into active ones that interact with our environment and us,” says Santo. Simply put, it combines plant-based polymers with digital technology (3D printing) to create a new material — that is compostable and customisable — to filter carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases from the air. “We looked to our own home for inspiration, seeking a way to convert unused space for the purposes of cleaning our air. We realised that not only could wall or ceiling space be clad in carbon sequestering material, but objects and furniture as well,” he says. The challenge was to also make it aesthetically pleasing, which they did by utilising a range of patterns, textures and natural pigments. Aimed primarily at designers, it hopes to expand the options they have to include “natural and healthful new materials, and encourage experimentation”.