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Public Laundry
The idea for this project started while I was volunteering with outreach programs on Skid Row in Los Angeles. By spending time with the homeless community and the people supporting them, I learned that one of their biggest daily struggles is simply keeping clothes clean. Without access to laundry, it becomes incredibly difficult to find work, enter public spaces, or even just feel socially accepted. This project was designed as a direct, practical response to that overlooked need. It proposes a compact, durable washing machine that can be installed right into existing public restrooms, giving people an accessible way to wash their clothes and regain a sense of dignity.
By volunteering on the streets, I got a much better understanding of the daily struggles firsthand. By talking directly to outreach directors, fellow volunteers, and homeless individuals themselves, it became clear that simply being unwashed makes it incredibly hard already for homeless individuals to even have normal social interactions with people outside of their bubble. This made me narrow down my focus to laundry.
I sketched out everything from wearable backpack washers to hanging tree pods. But exploring all those ideas made one thing obvious: a practical, dignified solution shouldn't force people to carry extra, heavy equipment around all day. That realization led directly to the final concept of hooking a fixed washing system into the existing plumbing of public restrooms.
The spherical design features a front-loading watertight hatch, providing easy access to the perforated inner drum. Water is sourced directly from standard plumbing fixtures via a simple hose connection, ensuring the system remains completely sealed during the wash cycle to prevent any public spills.
I found out that public libraries in LA have grown out to support the homeless community significantly by providing unbothered access to their sanitary facilities and unbothere access to wifi and their computers. I went to the South Pasadena Public Library close to where I lived and decided to build on that existing network for the main design parameters for the washing machine.
To guarantee long-term durability in public environments, the final drive system utilizes a robust, low-maintenance planetary gear assembly. This maximizes rotational force while minimizing the physical effort required to operate the machine, making it very accessible for users.