nmbello Studio’s Award-Winning Design for the Community by the Community

Challenging the way we live the global pandemic has given rise to the need for design solutions that serve the health and well-being needs of our communities. Particularly those areas where hygiene standards can be difficult to maintain in difficult circumstances. In a big to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria product designer Nifemi Marcus Mbello came up with a modular portable handwashing station. The design which is currently a work in progress has won Nifemi the 2021 Wallpaper* Design Award “Life Enhancer of the Year”.

Interviews with healthcare professionals revealed the challenges they faced. The handwashing station is designed to be pushed from ward to ward eliminating the need to use sinks in fixed locations which made effective handwashing extremely difficult, as healthcare professionals find themselves having to move quickly between patients as they attend to the rising number of patients.

Designing with the needs of the end-user in mind, nmbello Studio also sought to create a product that could be economically viable, created with local materials and by members of the local community, giving rise to a circular economy whose benefits go beyond all those involved.

For the design, Nifemi and his team tapped into items used in everyday life. The handwashing station is inspired by the carts pushed around by the street vendors who sell clean water in kegs to their local communities. The end result is a product that people can relate to and understand and appreciate it’s purpose in helping to keep them safe.

Nifemi is the founder of nmbello Studio, a design studio in Lagos that explores ways to create innovative products that meet the needs of local urban consumers.

For further information about nmbello Studio visit: www.nmbello.com

[Image credits: All images sourced from nmbello. If downloaded and used elsewhere please credit accordingly.]