Press Release
Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Receives the Platinum A' Design Award in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) of MHI Thermal Systems for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 28, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) of MHI Thermal Systems, designed for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd., has been granted the Platinum A' Design Award in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Platinum A' Design Award Explained
The Platinum A' Design Award is recognized for honoring designs that stand at the forefront of creativity and innovation. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the A' Design Awards, acknowledging works that blend remarkable innovation with impactful societal contributions. These designs not only showcase exceptional artistic and technical proficiency but also highlight their creators' commitment to advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their role in shaping the aesthetics and trends of our time, contributing significantly to the enhancement of quality of life and promoting sustainable development.
More About Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump
The unit is a residential air to water heat pump that provides heating, cooling, and domestic hot water with excellent environmental performance using natural refrigerant R290. The unit has a jet black body with a silver accent, harmonizing with both traditional European buildings and modern architecture. The fan guard on the left side has a textured surface, while the right side has a smooth flat panel. It can supply hot water at 75 degrees Celsius even at -25 degrees Celsius, ensuring reliable year-round comfort.
About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)
As a member of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, we aim to realize a sustainable society by laying down a corporate philosophy to "provide innovative solutions to the air-conditioning and refrigeration issues of countries around the world, and ensuring the greater enrichment of people's lives" and "prioritize fairness and honesty in business to remain a company that is trusted by society." We will provide products and services to customers based on this philosophy.
About MHI Thermal Systems
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd was established as a separate company within Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group taking over the air-conditioning and refrigeration business.Our company began as a manufacturer dedicated to air-conditio
Award Record
This recognition makes Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) of MHI Thermal Systems a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted in the 2025 - 2026 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design Award
The A' HVAC Design Award is an international industrial design competition recognizing good design in the fields of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to HVAC system designers, industrial designers, HVAC brands and HVAC manufacturers from all countries. Typical entries include furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, air conditioners, ventilators and thermostats. The awarded hvac designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/hvac
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/177246
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/177246
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!177246
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/358716
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.mhi-mth.co.jp/en/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump
- Function
- Residential Air to Water Heat Pump
- Category
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Manufacturing, Electronics & Appliances and Architecture
- Colors
- Black, Dark Slate Gray, Silver, Gainsboro and Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)
- Country
- Japan
- Brand
- MHI Thermal Systems
- Recognition
- Platinum A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #177246
Credits
- Image Credits
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The unit is a residential air-to-water heat pump that provides heating, cooling, and domestic hot water with excellent environmental performance using natural refrigerant R290. The unit has a jet-black body with a silver accent, harmonizing with both traditional European buildings and modern architecture. The fan guard on the left side has a textured surface, while the right side has a smooth flat panel. It can supply hot water at 75°C even at -25°C, ensuring reliable year-round comfort.
- Inspiration
- Air-to-water heat pumps are becoming more popular as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuel boilers. Since units are typically installed outside and often positioned in visible areas, thoughtful and high-quality design is important. This unit features a jet-black finish and clean, minimal lines, blending naturally into traditional European architecture while offering a refined appearance. It uses R290, a natural refrigerant with an extremely low Global Warming Potential of 0.02.
- Research
- To ensure the safe use of the flammable refrigerant, a thorough risk assessment was conducted across the entire product lifecycle—including testing, manufacturing, storage, shipping, installation, operation, maintenance, and disposal. Cross-functional collaboration across design, sales, manufacturing, and quality assurance ensured the product was optimized both technically and commercially. A field test in the Netherlands provided real-world feedback to validate its performance.
- Challenge
- One of the challenges was achieving a design that prioritize durability, without compromising on aesthetics. Materials and structural components were carefully selected to withstand harsh outdoor conditions. To verify the resilience of the black exterior, the unit underwent 1,000 hours of UV resistance testing to ensure protection against prolonged sunlight exposure and was subjected to a direct sunlight test in the laboratory to evaluate the temperature rise of the controller.
- Realization and Technology
- The product was designed in Japan and is manufactured at our factory in Thailand. Production takes place on a dedicated R290 manufacturing line, which ensures strict control of safety and quality when handling this natural refrigerant. As part of our quality assurance process, every unit undergoes test runs for both heating and cooling modes before shipment. During these test runs, performance data is recorded and traceable this helps to verify operation and to support long-term reliability.
- Operation and Interaction
- The unit has a sound pressure level of just 34 dB(A) even at maximum capacity, achieved by a sound-absorbing double base plate and large fan, making it as quiet as a library—ensuring noise remains low enough for comfortable nighttime use. It is compatible with a remote monitoring system allowing users to monitor operation status, optimize performance, and detect issues via smartphones. For safe operation with R290 refrigerant, the unit includes multiple sensors, a sealed internal structure that separates ignition sources, and a vent hole at the base designed to safely release gas outside in the unlikely event of a leak.
- Project Duration and Location
- The product was developed over several years through close collaboration between the marketing, sales, engineering, manufacturing, and quality assurance teams. To ensure alignment with real-world requirements, feedback from various clients across Europe was also actively incorporated throughout the development process. A field test was conducted at a customer site in the Netherlands, where key aspects such as performance, durability, and ease of installation were closely evaluated.
- Specifications
- Dimensions (H × W × D): 916 × 1160 × 440 mm
- Keywords
- residential air to water heat pump, climate-solution, low global warming potential, longevity
