Gold Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design · 2025
Galaxy Outdoor Unit
by Zhejiang Zhongguang Electrical Co., Ltd.
- A' Design Award 2025 Gold Winner in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Outes
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 89,166
- Verification code 7F8B1E54B0 · Verify this award
About Galaxy Outdoor Unit
Galaxy is an outdoor unit for a home central air conditioning system. Galaxy provides heating, cooling and hot water, and uses the environmentally friendly refrigerant R290. The modular panels can be installed, removed and maintained by one person, and hidden buckles keep the outer surface unbroken. The panels are made of recycled plastic based on marine waste and are left unpainted. Graphene is applied to the heat exchanger fins for resistance to corrosion, weather and aging. The dark gray body with a star pattern suits many outdoor settings.
ZHEJIANG ZHONGGUANG ELECTRICAL CO.,LTD.'s Galaxy Outdoor Unit represents a significant achievement in the elevation of utilitarian climate control equipment to the realm of considered design objects, demonstrating how functional necessity and aesthetic refinement need not exist in opposition. The work emerges from contemporary industrial design traditions that prioritize visual discretion and architectural harmony, recognizing that exterior mechanical equipment increasingly occupies visible positions within residential and commercial environments where visual quality matters. The vertical ribbed façade accomplishes multiple objectives simultaneously, providing necessary airflow pathways while establishing a distinctive visual identity through rhythmic repetition that suggests both technological sophistication and material craftsmanship. The horizontal accent element introduces compositional dynamism that prevents the monolithic form from appearing static or heavy, its angular geometry creating a subtle forward momentum that implies technological advancement and directional energy flow. The chromatic restraint evident in the near-monochromatic graphite palette demonstrates confidence in form over decorative embellishment, allowing the interplay of light across the textured surface to provide visual interest through shadow and highlight rather than applied color. This approach aligns the work with architectural traditions that value material honesty and contextual sensitivity, enabling the unit to harmonize with diverse exterior environments rather than demanding attention. The proportional relationships suggest careful consideration of classical mathematical ratios, with the horizontal accent positioned at approximately one-third the total height, creating visual balance that satisfies intuitive aesthetic expectations. The rounded corner treatment softens the industrial character sufficiently to suggest domesticity while maintaining the precision and authority expected of advanced technology. One might contemplate how this synthesis of functional requirement and visual sensitivity reflects broader cultural shifts toward design consciousness in previously overlooked product categories.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The product is a home central AC system. It uses eco-friendly refrigerants for heating, cooling and hot water. Modular panels are easy in install, remove and maintain. Recycled plastics and no paint are used. Multiple appearances offer personalized choices. Heat exchanger fins use graphene for corrosion, weather and aging resistance and high efficiency. The star-covered exterior with dark gray color is understated and aesthetic, blending into various outdoor scenes.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 1232mmx560mmx1150mm
- Tags
- Heat pump,Outdoor unit,Industry,Building Technology,R290
- Production Technology
- It uses a new type of environmentally friendly refrigerant. The plastic panels of the outdoor unit are made of recyclable plastics with marine waste as the raw material.
- Design Challenge
- This design breaks through the limitation that existing outdoor units require a completely new design for updates. By only designing and replacing the panels while keeping the fuselage unchanged, it not only greatly simplifies the renewal process but also enables personalized customization based on users' preferences and different scenarios. This makes the product better meet users' actual needs, significantly expands the product's application scope and market potential, and brings more value and choices to users.
- Project Duration
- The project started in September 2024 in Ningbo China.
- Operation Flow
- It adopts a modular design, which enables the front panel and the body to form an easily detachable structure. The hidden buckle design ensures the integrity of the appearance. When it comes to reinstallation, it can be operated by one person, saving labor costs and facilitating subsequent maintenance and replacement.
- Research
- This research focuses on the problems of high energy consumption of traditional outdoor units and the great processing difficulty of sheet metal materials, and has successfully found solutions. By adopting the R290 environmentally friendly refrigerant, a remarkable improvement in energy efficiency has been achieved. In addition, this refrigerant is inexpensive, reducing the operating cost. Meanwhile, the panel is made of recyclable plastic material, which is not only environmentally friendly but also expands more room for imagination in appearance design, meeting diverse aesthetic requirements.
- Inspiration
- Existing outdoor AC units have issues. Their materials aren't eco-friendly, disassembly is hard, and they look dull.The R290 heat pump unit Galaxyglow differs. It uses a new green refrigerant,cutting the greenhouse effect. Its plastic panels are recyclable, recycling marine waste to protect the environment. The innovative buckle design allows for easy installation and keeps the exterior whole. With a dark-gray body and starry decor, it looks nicer. This unit combines practicality and aesthetics well.
- Image Credits
- Zhejiang Zhongguang Elec
- Patents
- Zhejiang Zhongguang Elec