Eight Boston students land artwork in public spaces through Excel Dryer partnership

Eight Greater Boston high school students now have their hand-dryer designs installed at Faneuil Hall, Boston City Hall and other prominent Boston sites after a summer challenge run by Excel Dryer and CoDesign Collaborative. The project paired student mentorship with public art and a sustainability message tied to hand dryers and paper towel waste.

Why it matters: - The installations put student-created artwork in high-traffic civic spaces across Boston. - The project gives Greater Boston high school students real-world design experience and public visibility. - The winning design ties the art project to a sustainability message about reducing paper towel waste. - The collaboration connects workforce learning, community engagement and environmental design in one program.

What happened: - Eight Greater Boston high school students had their custom hand-dryer designs installed at prominent public spaces in Boston. - The partnership between Excel Dryer and CoDesign Collaborative came through the Summer CoDesign Student Challenge. - The designs were created for Excel Dryer’s XLERATOR and ThinAir hand dryer covers. - Installations went up at Faneuil Hall, Boston City Hall and the Boston Center for Youth & Families Thomas Johnson Community Center. - The project ended with a celebration for students, families, educators, community leaders and project partners.

The details: - Students worked through the full design process, from concept development to final production. - Participants received mentorship from industry professionals, including William Gagnon, Excel Dryer’s executive vice president and COO. - Student concepts explored themes including sustainability, community, space and abstract ideas. - The winning design, Paper Pollutes by Ariel Lin, highlights the environmental impact of paper towel waste. - XLERATOR hand dryers are presented as reducing a facility’s carbon footprint by up to 88% compared with single-use paper towels. - Lin said, “Using an air dryer is a more environmentally conscious decision than using paper towels.” - Lin added, “Paper also pollutes. You should be using XLERATOR instead.”

Between the lines: - The program turns a product surface into public-facing student art, which gives the company a community-service angle beyond equipment sales. - The sustainability framing helps position hand dryers as an environmental alternative to paper towels. - Gagnon said the students’ work is now part of everyday life in Boston, underscoring the project’s local visibility and civic reach. - The partnership also signals a talent-development strategy aimed at the next generation of designers and innovators.

What's next: - The installations are now permanent in Boston public spaces. - Excel Dryer said it will continue supporting students through mentorship and real-world learning opportunities. - The project could serve as a model for future student design collaborations tied to public spaces and commercial products.

The bottom line: - Eight student designs are now part of Boston’s built environment, and the project blends art, education and sustainability in a highly visible way.