80% of respondents to an Electrolux survey* at the DesignBoost** event in Stockholm on 12th February 2010,  embrace urbanisation as an opportunity to make the world a better place.

A delegation of 350+ designers, architects and global thinkers were in situ at the Swedish Museum of Architecture to participate in a series of seminars and workshops addressing the theme: ‘Space for Life’. Amongst many issues discussed throughout the day, the role of design was explored as a way of ensuring that the opportunities afforded by increased urbanisation can be maximized.

“Whilst urbanisation is often seen as a negative force, population growth makes this inevitable and thus requires sensible and planned solutions.” say’s Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President for Design at Electrolux. “It is essential that this change is embraced for the greater good. Clever, intuitive design and progressive architecture working together can help ensure a better future; with smarter cities that help reduce negative environmental impact. In fact, far from being a bad thing, urbansiation, if managed correctly, can be a force for good, facilitating sensible energy consumption, minimizing infrastructural impact and allowing communities to grow together.”

The day also saw the launch of ‘Heart of the Home’ an exciting new Electrolux kitchen concept positioned as an integrated and smart solution for the domestic requirements of the future.

DesignBoost attendee’s included Ineke Hans, Karim Rashid, James Irvine and Ross Lovegrove as well as many other distinguished names in the world of design.

*Electrolux surveyed 75 people at DesignBoost asking them for their thoughts on urbanisation.

** DesignBoost Stockholm saw a number of world renowned designers come together to workshop and discuss the future of design. The overall theme of DesignBoost 2010 is ‘Design for Life’ which concerns the way we plan, produce, transport and consume.

Imagine never having to use pans or pots again, never having to worry whether the ingredients are fresh or never having to look up a recipe in a cook book. Heart of the Home is a thought provoking vision of the kitchen of the future – an integrated solution functioning as a kitchen table, cooking surface and bar all in one.

‘Heart of the Home’ is an intelligent, amorphous, interchangeable cooking surface that adapts to user needs. When using the Heart of the Home one simply places one’s ingredients on the surface. The appliance then analyses the ingredients and presents a list of suitable recipes. After deciding on a recipe, the user marks an area with his hand to determine how large the cooking area should be. Then the desired depth of the surface is created by simply pressing the hand against the malleable material. After achieving the required width and depth it’s just a matter of setting temperature and time with a simple touch of a finger.

Heart of the Home background

2008 was the year when, for the first time in history, more people were living in cities than in rural areas. According to the UN, the number of people living in urban areas will increase to a staggering 74 percent in 2050. As a reference, a mere 29 percent lived in cities in 1950. Electrolux has developed the Heart of the Home as an illustration of how we will lead our lives in 2050 based on a number of assumptions:

Social needs are important: Just as today, social activities will be an important part of our lives, especially when it comes to socialising with your family and friends. The increased level of high-tech support in everyday life will also mean that we will want to experience true and real values

We need simplified homes: In the limited available space of future mega cities, homes will need to be flexible and able to adjust according to circumstances. The appliances of the future will need to be integrated and adjustable. We won’t have room for a whole host of products each with their own specific function.

Societies need to be more effective: When 74 percent of 9 billion people live in cities, we have to adapt our way of living to the resources we have. We need new ways of recycling our waste. Energy efficient products and buildings will be more important than ever before.

We won’t make it without technology: Technology is important today, but it will be a matter of survival in 2050. Technological advances are a prerequisite for us being able to have a sustainable development, environmentally as well as socially.

Heart of the Home was presented for the first time at DesignBoost in Stockholm February 12th 2010.

Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Design at Electrolux will present an exciting new kitchen concept Friday 12 Feb 2010. The event is held at the DesignBoost forum at Arkitekturmuseet in Sweden and Henrik Otto is joined in the “Space for Life” seminar by Ineke Hans, Karim Rashid, James Irvine and Ross Lovegrove (amongst others). The discussion will revolve around the role of design in realising the potential benefits of increasing global urbanisation.

For more detail on the 2010 competition be sure to check out the brief.

The Electrolux Rendez-vous is an all-in-one kitchen and entertaining space. A ‘virtual chef’ will help you cook on it, you can eat from it, store your food under it, and at the same time wirelessly recharge your phone/ipod/lap top. The Electrolux Rendez-vous is a design concept that puts the kitchen at the heart of the home.

Developed by the Electrolux design team the Rendez-vous responds to trends identified by the Electrolux insight team. It is understood that many consumers love to cook and entertain but are compromised by this in traditional homes by having to pop back and forth in to the kitchen to tend to meal preparations, taking them away from their guests. Thus, a perfect solution merges the cooking experience and entertaining space together. People are also looking for intuitive and instructive design, something that provides assistance in the kitchen to ensure that meals served are worthy of master chefs.

Electrolux Rendez-vous is the first interactive table that combines the living, eating, and entertaining space. The top of the table is a unique surface of energy that brings appliances to life without the use of a cable. The mobile phone or blender can be placed on the surface to charge or activate. The table top is also an inductive cooking system that uses sensor technology. Cooking zones are not predetermined; rather heat is dispensed wherever the pan is placed. Beneath the table are modular drawers that can hold a stove, refrigerator or almost any kitchen appliance that the consumer needs. Cooking becomes a social activity, with every thing you need all in one place. Programmed into the Rendez-vous, a virtual chef guides the user through the cooking process as required. The Rendez-vous breaks down barriers in the home, creating the perfect space for gathering, cooking and eating.

This concept is based on existing technology but it may take a while before it is all bought together in the way Electrolux envisage. What do you think about such a concept?

Swedish design student Rickard Hederstierna from Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden won the Electrolux Design Lab 2009 competition for his “Cocoon” concept. The announcement was made at the Electrolux Design Lab final in London last September.

“Cocoon” is a sustainable response to the world’s growing population and its desire to consume meat and fish. Similar to heating popcorn in a microwave, Cocoon prepares genetically engineered and prepackaged meat and fish dishes by heating muscle cells identified by radio frequency identification (RFID) signals. The signals detect the specific dish and then suggest the required cooking time. This process uses science to create food, lifting a burden on the planet by reducing the need for further intensive farming and fishing. The negative effects of this process, including the mass transportation of food around the world, clearing of land and distortion of ecosystems, are then negated.

A jury of internationally-recognized designers awarded Cocoon first prize in the competition as the concept was seen to “address a controversial issue that is very real: humankind’s continued desire to eat meat and fish.A great design concept polarizes opinion, and this is exactly what Cocoon achieves by exploring this issue. An inviting, tactile design, the Cocoon resembles a gemstone with a metal accent reflecting the heritage of the Swedish art-glass industry. Cocoon meets all of the brief’s criteria: it is daring, cutting edge and truly innovative in its focus on social and environmental issues.

Electrolux look forward to welcoming Rikard when he starts his placement at the Electrolux Design Centre in Stockholm and thank all of the entrants for the 2009 competition.

The 2nd Space Age

Electrolux Design Lab 2010 invites global undergraduate and graduate industrial design students to create home appliances that consider shrinking domestic spaces. Your ideas will shape how people prepare and store food, wash clothes, and do dishes in the homes of 2050 when 74%* of the world’s population are predicted to live in an urban environment.  Growing populations living in concentrated areas dictate a need for greater space efficiency.

This year, special consideration will be given to designers that submit a design within the context of a range or suite of solutions/appliances. Your design ideas should address key consumer requirements; being green, adaptive to time and space, and allowing for individualization.

Deadline: 1 May, 2010

Prizes:
1st prize: €5,000 + 6 months’ paid internship at an Electrolux global design center.

2nd prize: €3,000
3rd prize: €2,000

*source: UN

Electrolux will be presenting a new kitchen product concept at DesignBoost held at the Architecture Museum in Stockholm (February 11/12th 2010) . Two days of workshops open to the public will be attended by a number of the world’s top international designers. The launch of the Electrolux  concept addresses future urbanisation (as per the theme of the Electrolux Design Lab 2010 competition). Watch this space for inspiration, especially if you can’t make it to the event in Sweden.