The Elevated Street Cabinet

The innovative urban electric box.

Project Duration: 6 weeks | Fall 2021

Project Vision

Enel is an Italian multinational manufactuer and distributor of electricity and gas. Enel wanted a new design for sustia looking for a new design for a sustainable street cabinet (a built-in container for the distribution of electricity containing new diagnostic devices and tools) which must have innovative features in design and materials, incorporating the principles of circular economy and sustainability.

My team created a sustainable solution using recyclable materials and an attached planter with native plants. With these aesthetics, we designed an inclusive elevated design that would help technicians navigate and improve the quality of their job experience.

Requirements

Comply with the technical, safety and security requirements currently in adoption by Enel for the external container and its internal components.
Have suitable dimensions for the installation of all components.
Respond to a better integration with the urban or rural context where it is installed (possibly with the possibility of foreseeing more variations of its version based on the context).
Incorporate into its design and implement as much as possible, the main principles of circular economy and sustainability.
Promote and valorize the corporate image of Enel and its vision through the cabinet's design.
Provide the possibility to convey messages aimed at various stakeholders of the Company.

We designed a sustainable electric box with innovative features and materials that incorporates the principles of circular economy.

Ideation Boards

Before designing, our team researched electric boxes and illustrated our findings and ideas for our design. We each created our own mood boards with style, aesthetics, color and materials we wanted to use. In addition, each of us generated a word cloud to describe the required features we would apply to our designs.
Concept Sketches

After focusing on the words and images from the mood boards, we all designed concept sketches over a series of weeks and met to discuss what design direction we wanted to forward with.
Competition

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Materials & Manufacturing

The cabinet has 100% recyclable materials, from the aluminum legs to the body made of HDPE recycled plastic and the elevated body with support legs that allows technicians to navigate easily, and hooks for their tools inside attached to the body’s doors. The doors will be pressure formed while the main body is rotomolded. These manufacturing methods are quick and do not require additional machining.
Leg Aesthetics

The legs are hollow pieces they will have enough clearance for various cables to be threaded through and into the ground. This solution differs from competitors who create primitive rectilinear shapes using bent sheet metal. This is poor urban design and dissolves the relationship between urban life and the natural world.
Body Aesthetics

The elevated body is accessible for users, while also helping during flooding and other extreme weather changes. There are curved trenches on the top for water runoff, and plants in attached planters around the back for aesthetic purposes.

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Circular Economy

Design & Use

We incorporated native plants into our design for aesthetic purposes and to symbolize harmony between nature and machines. This allows the electric box to blend more into the surrounding environment.

Production

We chose materials that are fully recycled after use and chose manufacturers who use sustainable production and distribution methods.

Reuse Resources

After our electric box has design alternatives for making the user's experience easier. We created ribs on top of the electric cabinet that collect rain water and distribute the nutrients to the plants.

End of Life

After our electric box has completed its life cycle, the materials, HDPE and Aluminium Sheet-Metal are fully recycled and reused in other products. These materials are also non-toxic and have a long product life.

Orthographic Views

Dimensions: 830 mm x 320 mm x 1000 mm
Exploded View