[MDA2013]

2013 Melbourne Design Awards

Winner 

Project Overview

The Seamless is the newest product from Heatmaster, a well respected Australian owned company who have been designing high end heating units for 35 years.

The Seamless is a quality heating unit for the modern household, designed in collaboration with award winning engineers, to create a unique heater with an innovative approach to design and functionality.

Organisation

Heatmaster

Team

When beginning this project almost two years ago it was clear that to achieve our goal of a seamless aesthetic and simplified installation, the small, family-owned Heatmaster business would require some additional expertise. It was at this point that Tony Styles of Heatmaster put together a team consisting of Rod Wiebenga (of D & I) as a drafting engineer, John McNair (of BOD) as a gas consultant and Otello Andreotti and Sam Joseph (of Metal Makers) for manufacturing.

Project Brief

Heatmaster’s aim with their newest product was to push the boundaries and develop a product that was forward-thinking and different to anything else available for sale.

After in-depth research into industry trends with current heating units, Heatmaster identified that there was a gap in the market for a unit that was designed to specifically benefit builders and architects, as well as consumers.

With other heating units, the installation into properties is time consuming and difficult due to the rear of the fire being much larger than the front. This requires extended building works, requiring more time and space. The Seamless addresses these problems in a compact and easily installable product.

For the majority of time, heating units are not in use, therefore Heatmaster saw the importance of a product that looks as good when it is turned off as when it is in use. The Seamless was designed with architects in mind, to create an integrated unit which is non-obtrusive and fits perfectly into a modern home.

Project Need

Heatmaster utilised innovative design methods to create a product which is at the forefront of fire design.
This unique product houses all components in a highly compact and unobtrusive design. Therefore, the installation of this linear unit is minimal and it can be fitted easily into an existing house, rather than walls being built around the firebox. This feature will be a significant advantage for builders across Australia.

Unlike other fire units on the market which have solid, non-flexible flue, The Seamless has two small, flexible flue. One is used to emit gas fumes and the other to bring air back in to feed the combustion of the flame. This flexible design also makes the unit more easily installable as they can be manipulated to fit into a smaller space.

The product name reinforces the dedication that was paid to the finish of The Seamless. With no visible internal fixings on the mounting of the glass, it appears that the glass is floating. The fascia around the glass is also significantly thinner than any existing products, resulting in a sleek and highly contemporary finish.

Design Challenge

To achieve a product which was unique in its design and functionality led to a number of challenges.

As there is a vast amount of heat emitted, housing all the fire components in such a compact area led to the internal components melting on a number of trial runs.

A significant challenge was also found in mounting the glass frontage with no visible internal fixings, to create the sleek finish required.

The team was dedicated to meeting both requirements. By changing the design multiple times and going through a vigorous and lengthily testing period, they achieved the correct configuration in The Seamless.

This will be highly commended by architects and builders who have been looking for a high-end product with these capabilities for a long time.

Sustainability

Heatmaster is always striving to promote sustainability in its practices and products. The Seamless has been designed to achieve excellent levels of energy efficiency, which is a priority for any environmentally conscious homeowner.
All of the packaging used for the product is made from recyclable cardboard.

Heatmaster is dedicated to supporting sustainable methods of manufacture and production using local and existing suppliers whenever possible to reduce the impact of additional transport channels.




This award celebrates creative and innovative design for either a component or overall product. Consideration given to aspects that relate to human usage, aesthetics, selection of components and materials, and the resolution of assembly, manufacturing and the overall function.
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