# Lavabo: a handwashing station with exposed mechanics

A student-designed kindergarten wash station that shows its plumbing, levers and color-coded flow instead of hiding them behind a touchless sensor. Built to make handwashing a tactile, playful task.

- Category: Inspiration (product)
- Made by: [Moritz Steiner](https://www.diploma-ac.de/projekte/lavabo/) on Diploma project page
- Original: https://www.diploma-ac.de/projekte/lavabo/
- On Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/lavabo-a-handwashing-station-with-exposed-mechanics

## Story

Lavabo is a handwashing station for kindergarteners designed and fabricated by Moritz Steiner, a Product Design student at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The project starts from the idea that an everyday routine like washing hands can be an engaging experience rather than a silent one.

Instead of a touchless faucet that hides its workings in a black box, the station makes the technology visible. Exposed pipes, mechanical levers, a clear color-coded system and tactile tools show how the water moves through the unit. The designer frames this as an analog counterpoint to invisible sensor technology.

According to the project description, the goal is to build self-efficacy, curiosity and a sense of responsibility in children, and to help them understand and appreciate water and the technology that delivers it.

## Resources

- [Lavabo project page](https://www.diploma-ac.de/projekte/lavabo/)
- [Moritz Steiner studio](https://studio-moritz.de/)
- [Aachen Product Design program](https://www.fh-aachen.de/studium/studiengaenge/produktdesign-ba)

Tags: handwashing station, exposed plumbing, mechanical levers, color-coded, children's furniture, industrial design

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