INDOOR was a conceptual academic project, participant in the "ALCOA Aluminum Innovation Awards 2004". The challenge was to explore the various properties and potentialities of the metal, in order to suggest new, innovative products.
Our proposition was to investigate possible uses of the the aluminum in the cooking process. A regional delicacy – the popular Brazilian "churrasquinho" (barbecue) – was chosen to be the our "main character", thanks to its high "socializing" powers.
The result was the creation of an electric barbecue grill, built almost entirely of aluminum, due to its main advantages: flexibility/plasticity, high heat-conducting ability, recyclability and so on.
The barbecue can be prepared according to the "Brazilian style" rules, i.e. suspended on a skewer, without touching the metal surface (thus, it's not actually "grilled", but roasted on hot air).
The heat generated by an electrical resistance is concentrated on the food through a corrugated parabolic surface. Besides distributing the radiation, it conducts the residual grease to a drip tray located on the base of the device.
The product tends to be sustainable, as far as, besides not consuming non-renewable resources, such as charcoal or gas for the cooking, and not producing greenhouse gases, it can be entirely built from recycled aluminum and, at the end of its life span, can be recycled again.
Team: Rico Bacellar e Rodrigo Rego
Advisor: Professor Freddy Van Camp
ESDI/UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, 2004
Advisor: Professor Freddy Van Camp
ESDI/UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, 2004
