Faucet Design Has Moved Onto Water Flow Designs

 Move over handles, spout designs and arc styles, the way the water flows from the spout is also being designed today - water in the form of rain; water as a clear, powerful cascade; water as a powerfully pulsing or gently enveloping jet – the encounter with this element could hardly be more varied than what it is today.

Simin Qiu, a student of Royal College of Art designed a faucet Called Swirl, which was a recipient of the 2014 iF Haier special prize student award. The faucet is not just designed as a water saving measure - saving up to 15 percent of water used over a regular faucet but showcases water swirling down action when the tap is turned on. Qiu’s design incorporated a double turbine, which is activated by the natural vortex motion of water under the influence of gravity.  This is combined with holes cut into the nozzle of the faucet to create patterns in the water flow, with three different designs creating three different water effects. Swirl also adds one more innovation: rather than a tap that needs to be turned, or a lever, the faucet has a one-touch button that will allow the water to flow.

DXV American Standard has recently launched the first commercially-available faucets created with additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing. The incredibly high strength of the alloy enables fine structures of concealed waterways that converge at the top, shortly before reaching the aerator. This construction creates the impression that water appears magically out of the faucet. One design is an eye-catching mesh of delicate latticework, while the second faucet has the waterways separated into four thin sections, giving it a more traditional appearance. With the third faucet, the focus was on designing the experience of water.