Silent-Iconic from Hitachi Cooling & Heating: the 4-way cassette design panel with a hi-tech soul 


Nowadays, modern air conditioning systems are required to have high technological performance and a curated design. A successful example, where form and function meet, is Silent-Iconic, the new 4-way cassette design panel produced by Hitachi Cooling & Heating, the Japanese brand of high-quality air conditioning systems.

Silent-Iconic, available in white and in the exclusive black version, has been designed by Senior Designer Tomohiko Sato, brilliant designer in Hitachi Product Design Department based in Tokyo.

Silent-Iconic responds to various applications in air conditioning solutions, from commercial spaces, like showrooms, hotels, restaurants and offices, to residential, especially contemporary living locations, such as lofts, for their significant room volume. A solution conceived to offer high efficiency, energy saving, installation flexibility, high thermal comfort and maximum silence. From a design point of view, Silent-Iconic reveals its innovative soul: the four baffles are designed to reduce visual impact and to ensure precise control of the airflow. The minimalism of the shapes can be found in the edge of only 13 mm and the minimum space between panel and ceiling (3 mm). The central air intake is also designed to integrate with the surrounding environment.



Paolo Caimi, Marketing Manager of Hitachi Cooling & Heating Italy, talks about the need to combine an aesthetic and formal aspect with the technological heart of Silent-Iconic: "We wanted to try to overturn the paradigm whereby the air conditioning terminal, which is usually difficult to integrate into an architectural space, becomes an invisible element capable of matching shape and features, perfectly integrating itself into the environment".



An innovative design, studied to the smallest detail, which gained the prestigious Best of the Best [2021] in product design, the highest award in Red Dot Awards, an international award that defines future design trends; the iF Design Award 2020 and the Good Design Award 2020 from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, the institution founded in 1969 with the aim of promoting industrial design.

"When it comes to developing and designing air conditioners, the priority is usually to generate airflow that is comfortable rather than concentrating on product design, a feature that is often overlooked in this industry”, said Tomohiko Sato. "With Silent-Iconic, we chose to optimize the design aspect of the air conditioner, creating a harmonious design that can integrate within the architectural context. We pay a lot of attention on the 4 deflectors, created in total black in order to reduce the visual impact, and on slots design, made unnoticeable in order to perfectly became part of the ceiling and still generate comfortable airflow. A meticulous project, made on a lot of simulations in more than a year development, which led to a totally new concept attentive to budget and evocative name. Silent because it manages to do so discreetly thanks to its reduced visual impact, Iconic because it stems from the desire to create an iconic product for the air conditioning market.”

Hitachi Cooling & Heating at Fuorisalone

#airisdesign is the name of the Hitachi Cooling & Heating project in which architects, interior and industrial designers take part to explore the concepts of design, technology, sustainability, innovation and harmony. Through a series of video interviews in the sign of diversity, available on the social channels of Hitachi Cooling & Heating and on our online pages, the speakers address current issues, helping to outline possible future scenarios.




"For the 2021 edition, Fuorisalone.it proposes ‘Forme dell’Abitare’ (Forms of Living), a theme in which Hitachi Cooling & Heating takes part with #airisdesign, a format that explores the thought and planning of architects and designers, true authors of 'stories' that must be able to reconcile space, furnishing elements and materials on which to build the user experience. But what choices, processes and ideas are at the basis of a project? From the discussion with these professionals, the importance of experimentation and research of new perspectives emerges loud and clear, as well as the value of the connection between harmony and aesthetics, comfort and technology," said Silvana Vacca, Communication leader of Hitachi Cooling & Heating for Italy. 



From left, the architect Alejandro Restrepo Perez and the designer Davide Colzi; on the right, Francesca Ignani, architect and interior designer.

The key speakers are the Colombian architect Alejandro Restrepo Perez and designer Davide Colzi, from Milan, founders of the international studio ARPConcept, specialized in permanent spaces and ephemeral architecture. Francesca Ignani, architect and interior designer from Reggio Calabria with a vocation for environmental design and a strong orientation towards the development of high-tech solutions in the hotel and residential sectors. And Christian Rigotti, industrial designer with over twenty years of experience in the world of luxury retail and display, who has worked internationally with luxury brands for instore installations.


Christian Rigotti, industrial designer

"With #airisdesign, in addition to exploring the connections between design, planning and current and future guidelines, we also want to emphasize some core values of our brand, such as harmony and technological heritage. Air is a strong and silent presence in our daily lives, but also an element that is difficult to perceive, measure and weigh. Giving shape to air is a real challenge for designers. This is where the drive towards the aesthetic evolution of our solutions comes from, as in the case of Silent-Iconic - the innovative 4-way cassette design panel - which adds intelligence to the technological function of air conditioning systems and a new formal quality." said Silvana Vacca.

Watch the video interviews on Fuorisalone TV.