LSBU design student shines during Milan Design Week 2013

Smokers, do you struggle to find somewhere safe to dispose of your cigarette in the street? Well LSBU design student, Diana Toth may have created the perfect street-safe solution which was showcased at this year's Milan Design Week.

LSBU student, Diana Toth with her 3rd place design for JTI Clean City Lab 2013

Over 60 LSBU design students took part in the JTI Clean City Lab 2013 to invent ways to promote a cleaner environment as well as creating a social dimension for smokers and non-smokers to respect each other’s needs. LSBU students were competing against three international design schools, Milan’s Politecnico, Madrid’s IED and HEAD in Geneva. The prototypes of the sixteen finalists were on display at La Triennale during the prestigious Milan Design Week 2013.

Diana Toth was awarded a fantastic 3rd place for her project ‘Drain Away’, a redesign of existing street drain covers. Since the smoking ban, the number of those smoking on the streets has risen, through Diana’s research she noticed that they often had to go out of their way to find a suitable place to dispose of their cigarette. If no suitable bin was available, many felt uneasy dropping their cigarette on the floor and therefore found alternative methods such as plant pots and drains.

Diana wanted to promote ‘correct behaviour in terms of cigarette disposal’ and created a drain cover to do just that. Her design included a powder coated cover in an eye catching purple colour along with an instantly recognisable smoking image. Steep sided gullies on the reverse of the cover catch the cigarettes which are then sucked up by road sweeper vehicles; water is also able to flow through the drain as normal.

Judges praised Diana for her ability to transform what is often perceived as an unsightly public act into one that is socially acceptable and easily integrated into the city. They also noted that her project was already compatible with existing features in cities (current drain covers and Scarab Sweeper trucks) which would result in a quick and cost-effective transition into the streets.

JTI are now in the process of deciding which of the winning designs could be put into production, so keep your eyes peeled to see if ‘Drain Away’ appears on a street near you…

Take a look at the students working on the project in the run up to the final.