Electrolux Design Lab’s 10th Anniversary challenge to international design students is tied to Electrolux professional knowledge and exprience in a theme that stimulates all senses.

Electrolux Design Lab is a global annual design competition inviting students and recent graduates of industrial design to compete for a six-month paid internship and prize money by submitting ideas that develop the sensory experience of home appliances. This year the jury will also take special note of the aesthetic qualities of the concept and the way textures and surface materials have been used.

Brief: Design Experience
As demonstrated in the Cube by Electrolux, the world of professional cooking is all about the experience. It’s not about achieving the perfect inner temperature of a steak for the sake of science or performance. It’s about designing the best possible experience for your guests. The creative force behind the experience is the merger of intuitive and innovative appliances with the creativity of the chef and carefully selected high quality ingredients.

The brief for Electrolux Design Lab 2012 challenges design students to draw inspiration from professional experience creators (chefs, architects, interior designers, hotel designers etc.) to design home appliances that will provide a fuller sensory experience. It might be through state of the art technology or it might be through a clever blend of textures and surfaces

Entrants will also need to consider the heritage of Electrolux. Submissions should reflect Scandinavian Design values by being sensitive to the environment, providing intuitive ease of use and aesthetic appeal.

“I believe the importance of our sensory perception is underestimated in a lot of today’s design. Too much importance is accorded to the visual. What if we could incorporate our other senses into design? Could we smell who’s calling? Or feel what’s on TV?” says Henrik Otto SVP of Global Design at Electrolux.

Autumn finals in Europe
Eight finalists will each be invited to participate in a final event in the autumn of 2012 held within a European city (to be announced) to present their individual concept to a jury of expert designers. The jury will consider entries based on intuitive design, innovation, aesthetic qualities and consumer insight when awarding the first prize of a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre and 5,000 Euros. A second prize of 3,000 Euros and third prize of 2,000 Euros are also on offer.

Deadline for entry is 23:59 CET June 1, 2012

For more detailed information please see the Competition section where you can read the full brief presentation, read up on the rules and register.

“To re-source is to re-generate, re-energize, re-mix and re-lax,” says Bruno Lizotte, Design Manager at Electrolux, “and the appropriate space for this multi-tasking is, more than ever before, the home and its vibrant centre – the kitchen.”

The ReSource concepts include sustainable thinking and cultural reference points – both of which are increasingly important issues for product design as our planet’s resources disappear and our changing habits and lifestyles are fed by multi-cultural influences in our quest for novelty.

“This was a true collaboration, not just teaching,” says Lizotte who tutored the students, reviewing their work and giving them feedback. “The impressive response shows a dynamic way of looking at appliance design, offering novel solutions for the kitchen environment.”

1: KEWA (Kinetic Efficient Water Appliance) by Pietro Russomanno, Italy

KEWA is a an air pressure cleaner that saves water, time, and energy. Water is directed through kinetic jets to create a ‘water-blade’ capable of cleaning a single plate or pan in one sole stroke. There is also a hand-held cleaner to remove anything that may have been left on the plate or cooking vessel in advance.

2: Aeolus by Chi Rong Hsu, Taiwan

Extraction Meets Storage – AEOLUS is an extractor fan that efficiently removes odours from the entirety of a room. Chi Rong Hsu was specifically looking for a response to manage wok cooking within an enclosed space but this solution is applicable in many scenarios and maximises space by accommodating utensils and assorted tools that can be hung from the frame. Simple, smart and effective!

3: CLEAiR by Ariadna Tellez Rossell, Mexico

CLEAiR is an air purifier that provides automatic status updates about the condition of air in your home providing a cleaner and healthier place to live. The three separate table mounted cleaners (shown above) can also be used for general cleaning in a hand-held position.

4: Breathe by Beyza Dogan, Turkey

Breathe is a living kitchen appliance that literally ‘breathes in’ air pollutants through ionization. A clean kitchen environment is complemented by ambient light that follows the natural cycle of the day making the appliance visually appealing and providing a sense of harmony in the home.

5: Jumble by Zahira Ivelisse Crespo, Puerto Rico

Induction cooking with a twist – Jumble is a flexible set of induction cooking plates that allows easy transfer of cooking vessels to different temperate zones. A remote control operates the three cooking zones and frees up valuable counter space.

6: Wine by Jung Kun Choi, South Korea

‘Wine’ brings an aesthetic dimension to wine collection and storage. The wall mounted showcase displays the bottles whilst maintaining their optimal temperature. There is also a cabinet to chill and store suitable foods served as a part of the taste experience.

7: Celcius by Marcela Vanesa Céspedes, Argentina

Celcius – Recycling Kitchen Waste. Celcius is a kitchen waste disposal and recycling appliance. Enzymes break down organic waste creating energy that is sent to containers linked by conductive pipes that can be used to heat small appliances in the home.

8: Chefiamo by Jervis Chua, Hong Kong

‘Chefiamo’ is a virtual cook book that assists, guides, inspires and maintains cooking traditions through the projection of recipes. A hologram, programmed to appear like a friend or relative is projected on to a counter top to help you through the cooking process, making it easier to recreate mum’s special recipes. An interactive glove measures progress e.g. weight of ingredients and facilitates updates.

9: Fulcrum by Surbhi Singhal, India

Fulcrum is a modular system of furniture and kitchen appliance. As it is fully adaptable to your space (it can be built up as necessary) it allows you to store, cook and eat no matter the size of your living space.

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?