LUNO - Personal Concrete Heater

LUNO is a personal bio-ethanol heater made from rotationally molded concrete. It repositions concrete from a public, architectural material into a warm, intimate domestic object, designed to be experienced up close.

Beyond its function as a heater, LUNO was conceived as both a cultural and technical test.

Culturally, it questioned whether bare concrete, typically perceived as cold and infrastructural, could be accepted inside the home as something personal, even instinctively touchable.

Technically, LUNO acted as a controlled large-scale stress test for the material and process. Its size was pushed to the practical limits of the available setup, tooling, and timeframe, allowing material behavior, curing stability, and thermal performance to be evaluated beyond small experimental objects.

To enable this, LUNO was produced using a high-heat- resistant concrete mixture, adapted and tuned specifically for this application. Rather than developing a refractory concrete from scratch, the formulation was based on existing high-temperature cementitious systems and modified through research-driven adjustments to the raw material composition. These changes focused on compatibility with rotational molding, thermal stability under sustained bio-ethanol combustion, and safe domestic use.

Unlike traditional fireplaces, where flames dominate the space, LUNO deliberately contains the fire within a small upward-facing opening, prioritizing heat capture, safety, and intimacy over spectacle.

The internal cavity functions as an active thermal chamber, while the external geometry regulates heat transfer and user safety:

Domed upper geometry distributes heat evenly

Ribbed lower geometry creates a cooler contact zone for safe placement

Integrated air inlets support controlled combustion

Bio-ethanol enables clean indoor use without smoke, soot, or chimney

The formal language is intentionally restrained, allowing the material, its texture, weight, and thermal behavior to remain the focal point rather than the flame itself.

Recognition
- Awarded an Excellence Scholarship
- Selected as a Graduation Project of Excellence