I worked on this project with a team of 3 other design students for the Dutch furniture company Ahrend. We designed a locker that is capable of disinfecting electronics at the office. The design was made such that it can be elegantly integrated into the office environment and works with Ahrend's current, high-end line of furniture.
The challenge
Ahrend challenged us to come up with a solution to their problem of encouraging the return of the office worker. Ahrend wanted a way to encourage people to come back to a safe working environment after the pandemic.
Our approach was to design a product that ensured the safety of the people working at the office. Giving people the impression of safety is one thing, actually contributing to safety is another. We decided making sure communal office equipment is clean is an effective way to slow the spreading of viruses and bacteria.
UVC-disinfection
The design uses UVC technology to disinfect the products inside the locker. UVC is a UV light variant that does not normally reach the earth's surface. Due to this fact, no living organism is immune to its effects, including bacteria and viruses. Using this light in a sealed locker we can kill any viral material on surfaces of the product to ensure a safer working environment.
This design makes sure no UVC light makes it out of the locker such that it can cause no harm to the people around it.
This application is useful during times like these where a virus has halted society, and such disinfection methods can go a long way in making sure no harmful viruses are transmitted via communally used office materials.
