Designed by Albert Ko and Ian Wong of Lingnan University the 12° Mask is a transparent air filtration mask designed to make human facial expressions visible while safeguarding individual and collective health.
The protective face mask design by Albert Ko and Ian Wong has been awarded a 2021 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
About 30% of deaf people use lipreading to communicate in their daily life. Opaque surgical masks hinder communication with and among deaf people.
To all of us, when facial cues are hidden behind standard opaque masks, drastic miscommunications can occur.
Doctors explaining unexpected diagnostic results to patients, counsellors assisting students with special education needs, law enforcers handling disputes, and social workers stabilizing vulnerable victims—these are some of the hundreds of circumstances where people’s well-being is dependent on precise verbal and facial communications.
The design is optimised for comfort and clarity for professionals who must wear masks during long duty hours when serving the public, including our hearing-impaired community.
There are two types of so-called “transparent masks” available in the market.
One type is commonly made of transparent materials (e.g. acrylic and PET) but has no air filtering function. Wearers of such masks gain no protection from viruses.
The other type is made by cutting a hole in the middle of standard surgical masks and then covering the hole with transparent plastic. These masks have small see-through windows and reduced breathability.
12° Masks use H13 HEPA filters to achieve ASTM level 3 filtration efficiency and high breathability.
The pleated H13 filter allows 30 times more airflow within the same compact vent design. The filter fitted under the chin can be replaced daily.
Renewable Antiviral Coating is applied to both surfaces of the 12° Mask to provide additional protection to the user.
The 12° Mask (patent-pending) is the first to address the trickiest challenges of transparent mask design, namely reflections.
For lip readers, light reflection and fogging are the primary obstacles to accurate lip reading.
Inspired by the geometry of stealth jet fighters, the face shield of the 12° mask combines flat polygonal panes and low protrusion surfaces to minimize reflection.
Ultra-Low Reflection paired with unobstructed side panes produces a panoramic view of the wearer’s face and lip movements.
The 12° Mask integrates an ultra-durable thin film to prevent fogging.
A flexible silicone seal ensures a comfortable fit and accommodates enthusiastic facial expressions.
The elasticity bands enable microtia users and headscarf wearers to configure the ear loops so as to suit their needs.
The 12° Mask, made of 100% recyclable PET, comes in 7 frame colours and 12 more for the bands.
Project: 12° Mask
Designers: Lingnan University
Design Team: Albert Ko and Ian Wong
Manufacturer: INNOrigin Limited
