The idea behind Vialume 1

"A new Nordic classic is born" by Christian Klinge, Head of Design, ÅF Lighting

You rarely have the opportunity to start with a blank sheet of paper when developing a new luminaire, but that's precisely what Fagerhult chose to do in spring 2012. They contacted us at ÅF Lighting to investigate the possibilities of creating a totally new kind of street lighting based on LED technology.

Objective

The aim was to develop a luminaire that could stand alongside the very best in the market, and at the same time to show off the very best of timeless Nordic design. Experts from both Fagerhult and ÅF Lighting were involved in the development process.

In terms of lighting technology, the challenge was to produce a luminaire with perfect light distribution that is suitable for most wall geometries, and at the same time to develop a way of minimising glare and thus increasing visual comfort.

The challenge in pure design terms was to create a luminaire with a Nordic idiom that would fit equally well in classic and modern urban environments. Furthermore, a variable tilt function had to be integrated without compromising the design.

The result

We now stand here with the result of our efforts – the new Vialume 1 from Fagerhult. We'd make so bold as to say that we're very proud of the result, and hope that a new Nordic classic has been born!

We have developed a totally new kind of extra large lenses for Vialume 1. The lenses have been placed in the luminaire in a way that optimises the visual comfort while at the same time illuminating the light opening. This creates a nice effect and is at the same time very pleasant for the eye, as it has time to get used to the light before you reach the actual luminaire.

We're just as proud of the light from the luminaire as of the actual design. We've succeeded in combining innovation with the essence of classic Nordic design. Bringing together the organic, gentle idiom with the tight geometric lines and creating one single cohesive unit was a challenge. But we've really succeeded!