This STEA project is by Industrial Design student Eliot Andrault, done as his Masters project at France's École nationale supérieure des arts visuels de La Cambre.

STEA was born from a simple yet essential question: how can we heat ourselves differently, without sacrificing comfort? In a context where heating accounts for nearly two tons of CO2 emissions per person per year in Belgium, rethinking warmth becomes both an intimate and political act.

Rather than heating an entire volume of air, STEA focuses on the user, at the scale of the body. Inspired by the SlowHeat concept, this localized device creates an immediate microclimate, right where the body needs it most. This approach, rooted in age-old practices like the use of terracotta warming seats, invites us to reconnect with a gentler, more embodied and close-proximity warmth.

At the heart of the project lies the refractory brick, a material chosen for its remarkable thermal inertia. It slowly absorbs and releases heat in an enveloping manner.

After a brief heating phase, STEA operates on a 1/3 – 2/3 principle: ten minutes to heat up, twenty minutes to diffuse. Designed primarily to support stillness, at a desk, during reading or a moment of rest, it offers silent, stable and comforting warmth.

Formally, STEA embraces a monolithic and raw presence inspired by traditional cast-iron radiators. The vertical stacking of bricks evokes familiar architectural forms, while the tubular steel handle softens and humanizes the silhouette.

A discreet green LED indicates activation, and a subtle ignition click pays homage to heaters of the past.

Resting on unidirectional castors, the object is stable yet mobile. Its weight asserts both its presence and function.

Conceived with eco-design in mind, STEA is entirely disassemblable with a single Allen key. The materials are locally sourced, easily repairable and recyclable at end of life.

Built to be robust and long-lasting, it does not seek to replace all heating systems, but rather to propose a new way of thinking about warmth. One that is fairer, slower, and more respectful of both the body and the planet.

Beyond the object, STEA is an invitation to question our habits and our daily rituals. A design grounded in materiality, gestures and rhythms of everyday life. A design that reconciles comfort and simplicity, and opens the way toward a more local, embodied and sustainable energy future.

Having gained his Masters, Andrault now works as a freelance industrial designer in France.