Form follows technology in lighting
April 12th, 2011 by Susan Reynard | Categories: Press Office
Two innovative luminaire concepts secured double success for Osram, gaining two Red Dot Design Awards 2011. The LUMIgo compact LED pocket torch and the refinement of the Airabesc OLED suspended luminaire have convinced the jury of their merits in design and technology.
Osram has demonstrated once again the transformative power of the new light technologies, which overtake the previous forms of luminaires, smoothing the way towards new and unusual opportunities for design.
The matching flowing structures of the luminaire Airabesc and their perfect accentuation with OLED was recognised in the “Product Design” category. The design, created by Dietmar Fissl from the design bureau 2DoDesign, puts organic forms and themes in the forefront.
The luminaire looks as if it is modelled by the wind as the elements of the reduced, symmetrical aluminium form are floating in the air. Despite the flowing lightness and harmony of the structures, which take as their inspiration the arabesque (a ballet position), the biomorphic shape is appealing.
The product deploys eleven rectangular reflecting warm-white OLED panels from the Orbeos series. The diffuse warm-white light of the Orbeos has a colour rendering index (CRI) of 87; it thus enables objects bathed in its light to appear in flowing form and in colours authentic to nature.
The 1.8 millimetre thin new panels contain no visible conductors and are particularly suited for use in designer luminaires as they lend additional emphasis to the refined optical impression. In addition, it deploys six compact warm-white Oslon-LEDs with a CRI of 95.
The interaction of OLEDs and LEDs is making the designer luminaire the answer for setting the mood, using light to get the right emphasis. Osram is presenting the Airabesc for the first time in the new showroom in Milan in time for Euroluce, the international lighting trade fair held from 12 to 17 April 2011. The product is available from July.
The other award-winning luminaire was created in collaboration with the Scazziga design bureau and Osram Asia Pacific. It is the ultra-compact LED pocket torch LUMIgo.
The core of the concept is to develop a luminaire which matches the daily needs of the user – usable at a moment’s notice, intuitive and handy to work with and easy to carry around.
It takes its inspiration from a matchbox in terms of form and functionality and can easily be put away in a jacket pocket. It contains an Osram high-performance LED, which really makes its mark with outstanding light quality and long life. It is particularly low on energy consumption, operating on three standard AAA batteries.
LUMIgo is also dimmable, through a smooth progression of levels, and can be adapted individually to the desired level of brightness. The unconventional design of the pocket torch proves once again the advantages of light diodes. As they are very small and robust and provide good product longevity, they create the opportunity for extraordinary luminaire designs, offering great flexibility in shape and size. LUMIgo is available in Asian countries in the near future.
The Red Dot Design Award dates back to 1955 and is now the world’s largest and most distinguished design competition. It has three categories: Product Design, Communication Design and Design Concept. There were almost 14 000 entries from 68 countries in the year 2010 alone.
Osram, with its head office in Munich, Germany, is part of the Industry Sector of Siemens and one of the two leading lighting manufacturers in the world. Sales for Osram worldwide totalled €4.7-billion in fiscal year 2010, 88% of which came from outside Germany.
Osram is a high-tech company in the lighting industry. Over 66% of sales come from energy-efficient products. This global player employs around 40 000 people worldwide, supplies customers in some 150 countries and has 46 production facilities in 17 countries (September 30).
