UWE Bristol alum develops flatpack wood stove to heat homes damaged in conflict

A UWE Bristol alum has designed a flatpack wood burning stove which will provide a vital heat source for people whose homes have been damaged in areas of conflict across the world.

The Heat for Humanity initiative has been set up by UWE Bristol Product Design graduate Sam Driver, 24, after developing the first prototype during his degree. By designing a flatpack stove, Heat for Humanity can transport far more of the products in one go when compared with pre-assembled stoves, meaning they can support more homes to access heat while reducing the number of trips into an active war zone.

The stoves have also been designed to be quick and easy to install in the field, requiring minimal tools to assemble them. Careful consideration was given to the design to ensure there is a long lasting burn at a more consistent temperature. Not only is this more environmentally friendly, but it also means those using the stoves in areas of conflict won’t have to access wood as frequently.

Sam is based at UWE Bristol’s Launch Space, an enterprise facility for graduate start-ups in the University Enterprise Zone on the Frenchay campus, where he is receiving mentoring and support from experts in product design. Finn Wain, 22, a fourth year Product Design student at UWE Bristol, has joined the initiative as a volunteer to gain work experience during his degree.

Sam and Finn have recently returned from a trip to Ukraine where they installed two wood burning stoves in the homes of people who have been affected by Russia’s war with the country, to test the product. Since February 2022, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has resulted in approximately two million homes being damaged, leaving four in ten people* in Ukraine needing humanitarian assistance including power and heating.

Partnering with Swedish charity City Hearts Sweden, Heat for Humanity were connected to two families living in the villages of Moshchun, which has experienced significant shelling during the war, and Mokhnachka.

Olga and Vasil Hurtak received a stove from Heat for Humanity after their house was destroyed in February 2022 and they lost their roof and windows. With the help of local and international charities, Olga and Vasil had their roof repaired and windows replaced. Through City Hearts Sweden, Sam and the team then installed a stove in Olga and Vasil’s home providing an essential heat source to support the couple during the Ukrainian winter.

Sam said: “We wanted to make sure the stoves could be installed as easily as we hoped by someone other than ourselves, so we were put in touch with a Ukrainian who was able to help. As we were arriving in Ukraine, we got the news that he had been drafted to serve in the war, which was a stark reminder of the daily reality for people living in Ukraine right now.

“It was a surreal trip seeing first hand the destruction of homes. The temperature is really dropping over there already, so it brought home just how necessary these stoves are and made us more motivated returning to Bristol to make this venture a success. Temperatures get down to -20 degrees over the winter, so without access to a heat source people would have to move out of their homes altogether, causing more distress to their lives.”

Last year, Sam was the recipient of £20,000 funding through UWE Bristol’s Entrepreneurial Futures Award which aims to support and kickstart the entrepreneurial ideas and talent within the university, with funds donated by UWE alum Peter Fane, executive chairman of the Nuture Landscape Group.

Heat for Humanity have now set a fundraising target of £10,000 by January which will allow the initiative to make a further trip to Ukraine in the new year to install 20 stoves to support more families to access heat.

Mark Corderoy, incubation manager at UWE Bristol’s Launch Space said: “Sam's Heat for Humanity initiative represents exactly the innovative, purpose-driven entrepreneurship we champion at UWE Bristol. By designing a flatpack wood stove that can be easily transported and installed in conflict zones, he's not just creating a product, but delivering a lifeline to communities facing extreme challenges. This is social entrepreneurship at its most impactful - solving real-world problems with intelligent, practical design.”

In the future, the project has ambitions to set up a manufacturing base in Ukraine, providing jobs to local people, reducing the distance to deliver the wood burning stoves and being able to upscale production.

For more information, visit www.heatforhumanity.org