Ceramics provide a pleasant radiant warmth, but they are usually tied to a central, fixed heating unit and respond slowly. Modern hot-water heating systems have distributed radiators that heat up quickly, but they do not offer comparable warmth quality. So why not simply replace the steel of conventional radiators with ceramics?
Extrudow is based on modular ceramic elements that can be flexibly mounted on a heat-conducting pipe system, radiating their warmth in a controlled manner and in variable spatial distribution. In this way, it combines the advantages of a tiled stove with those of central heating, while creating an entirely new form of heating. The primary installation site is the corner, where radiators can be placed space-efficiently and harmoniously. However, the modular design concept—comprising the heating pipe with hot water, bricks, and connectors—also allows for a range of other installation options.
The basic construction ensures that air flows upward through the profiled front and the ventilation slots inside the vertically oriented bricks. In this way, the system makes use of the chimney effect, independent of the arrangement of its elements, leading to a uniform exchange of cold and warm air. A crucial factor is also the production method. The formally appealing modules can be easily produced from local clay using the traditional extrusion process. This method generates endlessly extrudable profiles that can be cut to the desired lengths, with the only limiting factor being the size of the kiln chamber.
Surface treatments and the clay body itself can highlight different material qualities in the modules. For example, glazing can produce colors that are not achievable in any other material. Here, the color is initially determined by the underlying clay and blends with the tint of the transparent glaze. Another possibility is to create a marbling effect by mixing clays of different colors—such effects occur, for instance, when the processed material is changed during machine production and are usually unwanted. What would otherwise become waste can, in the Extrudow modules, unfold its aesthetic appeal.
