ICON Accessible Barbecue Cabinet

The challenge was to create a contemporary interpretation of our groundbreaking Modular cabinet launched 25 years ago. The design had to address current accessibility and OH&S standards while providing for larger food preparation spaces and social distancing. Our customers expect cost-effective products that are easy to clean and maintain. We had to allow for a simple, enhanced user experience by multicultural community members and cost-effective local manufacturing. We had to create a signature aesthetic to set ourselves apart from our original cabinet design, which has become the industry standard and reassert our market leadership in innovation.

Christie manufactured previous cabinets from multiple materials, including aluminium, stainless steel & cement panels. Fabricating the ICON cabinet entirely from folded stainless steel reduces complexity and costs, extends the design life, and allows cabinets to be recycled. We minimised all welds, electing to use rivets and threaded inserts to reduce costs. Production is easy to scale, enabling local manufacturing in our international markets, reducing shipping costs and the product's carbon footprint. The stainless is corrosion-resistant, hygienic and easy to maintain. The rigidity and formability of stainless steel allowed us to create a large benchtop that accommodates individual food preparation spaces.

The ICON is a wheelchair friendly, child-safe barbecue cabinet for use in parks and shared public spaces. It enables social inclusion, allowing users of all abilities to enjoy the Australian tradition of outdoor cooking. Updating the outmoded aspects of our current cabinet provides an improved user experience for Christie customers and shared barbecue users. The design reinforces Christie Barbecues position as the market leader and innovator and elevates the brand above our competitors, with attendant commercial and customer benefits. Reducing manufacturing complexity and using materials with 60% recycled content that's also recyclable reduces the overall environmental impact of the cabinet.

The ICON meets the rigorous standards for wheelchair access. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant design enables seated and standing users of all abilities to reach the cooktop. The low-profile benchtop increases usable bench space while maintaining a small footprint, and the stainless-steel cabinet is available in a range of colours. The benchtop offers individual food preparation spaces. Christie barbecue cooktops do not require buttons on the door or benchtop. They can be orientated in opposing directions, allowing users to maintain an appropriate distance while sharing the facility. All-stainless construction is durable, recyclable and easy to clean. The split doors allow the waste tray to be handled at knee height rather than the floor. A grease trap overflow system exits the cabinet to avoid waste build-up. Any part of the cabinet can be replaced on-site. Quick-release doors are easily removed for service, cleaning, or changing the opening swing direction. All panels and the doors are interchangeable and available as spare parts. Communal barbecues are increasingly installed on rooftops and in other urban locations. ICON cabinets are flat-packed for easy site access, saving on transportation and offloading costs.