The “Concealed” air conditioner is what you get when you design an air conditioner with no constraints or past visual memory. Imagine describing the use of an AC to someone who’s never seen one before and asking them to visualize it, and you’ll get something that is true to the AC’s description. The Concealed Visible Air Conditioner stays flush within a wall, almost integrating itself into the building’s architecture like a radiator. It comes with an air outlet running along the top and sides, with a brushed metal panel on the front, and a screen at the base that instead of flashing numbers and mnemonic symbols like fans and water droplets, builds context, by visualizing what the AC is doing. If it’s heading the room up, the screen shows a fireplace… and frost for when it’s cooling down. The same goes for when it’s running in humidifier and dehumidifier modes. Displaying exactly the amount of information that’s relevant to us, and looking more like a slick magical temperature-controlling device than a bulky plastic-y appliance, the Concealed Visible Air Conditioner challenges what ACs should look like… and it’s high time designers and manufacturers took note!

The “Concealed” Visible Air Conditioner is a winner of the Red Dot Design Concept Award for the year 2017.

Designers: Chen Guangyu, Liu Jiachi (Gree Electric Appliances Inc.)