Dates: 15 - 20 April 2012
Venue: Messe Frankfurt, Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1, 60327 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Germany's Minister of Economics to open Light+Building
Germany's Minister for Economics and Technology, Philipp Rösler, will open
Light+Building, the world's biggest trade fair for lighting and
building-services technology, on 15 April 2012. Additionally, Messe Frankfurt
will present the 1st Building Future Award during the opening ceremony. This
future-oriented Light+Building award is given in recognition of pioneering
research or development work that is expected to make a significant contribution
towards the sustainable development of society. From now on, the Building Future
Award will be presented every two years during the opening of Light+Building.
Messe Frankfurt to present the 1st Building Future Award
Messe Frankfurt is conferring the Building Future Award in cooperation with
the German Association of the Electrical and Electronics Industry
(Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e.V. - ZVEI) and the
Central Association of the German Electrical and Information Technology Trades
(Zentralverband der Deutschen Elektro- und Informationstechnischen Handwerke -
ZVEH). The first winners of the Building Future Awards - personalities whose
achievements are of importance not only for society today but also for future
generations - will be chosen in a few weeks.
Light+Building 'Futurecourse' on a provocative subject
The Light+Building 'Futurecourse' will be held on 17 April 2012. In line with
the motto of this year's fair, the panel discussion will focus on the
provocative question, 'New energy paradigm - will the tenant foot the bill?'
This involves the unequivocal demand for political intervention, which is
necessary if Germany is to achieve the ambitious climate-protection targets.
Although the industry offers ultra-modern technical solutions, house owners are
reluctant to meet the cost of modernising their buildings. At 'Futurecourse',
experts will discuss whether energy saving really is only a matter for the
private individual.
From industrial charm to naturalness, from luxury to humour - lamp design as
a reflection of technological change
Technology as daily bread, design as cake and candy
The so-called "ban on incandescent lamps", the EU Directive which provides for
the step-by-step extinction of traditional lamps, also heralds the era of the
LED. Although it was, at the beginning, viewed with scepticism by many consumers,
the technological development of light-emitting diodes has progressed at
breakneck speed during the intervening period. Today, LEDs can be obtained in
many different colours and in different shades of white. High-end LEDs also get
the quality of the light right, so that this form of lighting has now finally
arrived in the living room, too. Whereas, just a few years ago, these tiny dots
of light served as definite design statements, recent lighting schemes now
include LEDs as a matter of course, without having to pick them out as, in any
way, an "exotic" light source. Technology must be both functional and offer the
greatest possible comfort and convenience. This is also expected of luminaires.
So, equipping lamps with the most modern technology has now become standard and
the focus for the future once again falls on design.
Trends for lighting in the home promise, therefore, to become both exciting
and extremely creative. And many new products in the field will be on show for
the first time at the world's leading trade fair, Light+Building, in Frankfurt
am Main from 15 to 20 April 2012; an overview of lighting trends for 2012/2013
can already be found here.
Traditional authenticity in times of technological change
Design is always also a reflection of the dominant spirit of the times. That is
as true for furniture, fashion and technology as it is for lamps. We live in an
age of technological change; modern communications technology makes both our
work and our daily life easier. The reverse of the coin is to be found in the
increasing demands and stress, the speed of life, the stimulation overload.
Rather like this ambiguous 'love-hate' relationship, we can discern two
fundamental trends in lamp design: on the one hand, a commitment to technical
and industrial design and, as a counter-current, a hankering for nature and
naturalness. Common to both is a longing for things that are 'authentic' and 'hand-made'.
Source - Tom Vack, München. © Ingo Maurer GmbH, München
The unadorned charm of the
industrial manifests itself in mostly modern, functional interiors with
luminaires made in aluminium, steel and sheet metal, bent, hammered, often
preferably with a casual, vintage look. Technical components like cables, light
sources, screws and hinges remain visible and are deliberately used
as design features. It is the bright red cable that represents the essence of
Serge and Robert Cornelissen's table lamp in folded aluminium; lamp
designer Ingo Maurer uses the sim-ple trick of putting the reflector on the
exterior skin of the shade, made in curved aluminium leaves, so that the
light hits the lamp from the outside. French designer Matali Crasset pays open
homage to computer technology: the shade on her LED hanging lamp
consists of four plastic plates, with more than a fortuitous resemblance to
computer circuit boards.
Nature finds its way into the living room
The ever increasing speed of technological development in almost all areas of
life also, however, gives rise to a wish for authentic values, peace and
cosiness - particularly in the home. This trend towards nature and 'naturalness'
is reflected in lamp design, particularly in the materials used: wood,
in its natural state, and light-weight paper, simple shapes paired with an
almost Scandinavian concern for practicality and quality. Lamps, like those
of Kai Linke, hang down from the ceiling in the form of raw blocks of wood and
the Bouroullec brothers have designed a table-lamp collection with just
two linked wooden components. The upper element produces the light, whilst the
lower one provides a useful surface to stand things on. But nature
appears in the living room not only in the form of natural materials, but also
as imitation: sparkling polycarbonate flowers twine round light sources,
LED "leaves" shine forth at the end of interwoven "branches" made from fine
metal wires; standard lamps curve in a perfect bow like a water fountain
over a pond. Designers Ludovica and Roberto Palomba have even used a small "branch",
which acts as a touch-control dimmer, "growing" out of a
simple, traditional table lamp.
Luxury and glamour
But the desire for natural inspiration in lamp design not only manifests itself
as imitation; it also appears in a stylised form - objects that seem to flow
in amorphous shapes and to which one is not, at first glance, inclined to
attribute their function as lamps. Based on clouds or fluid metal and
attached with almost invisible fixings, these luminaires are like sculptures in
the living room, eye-catching talking points, an individual statement. As
fluid as these shapes, too, is the sideways shift into luxury - after all, it is
not only the light from the modern domestic luminaire that needs to shine.
So the trend for luxury, elegance and glamour continues unbroken. Rather more
classical and understated in form, these luxury lamps positively
glow with glossed and mostly black or shiny gold surfaces.
Table lamps - from accessory to useful little helper
Table lamps are enjoying a real field day: small, flexible and de-signer items,
mostly indeed within reach of the average budget, they adorn domestic
rooms with humour and a wealth of imagination, for all age-groups, lifestyles
and decorative tastes. There are no limits to creativity in this area. They
play their part as amusing little sources of light in the kitchen, as an
accessory for creating atmosphere in the dining and living areas, not to mention
as reading lamps in the bed-room. And there is no problem with things being a
little more colourful. Some designers go even further and personify
their little lamps unashamedly. With stylised shades, which look like little
hats, many table lamps acquire a decidedly cute look.
In situations where large lamps can all too easily create
dominant and
imposing effects with bold and outlandish designs and gaudy colours,
designers are having a field day of creativity with their mini luminaires. The
coming season is set to bring a plethora of new models onto the market -
with all conceivable shapes and colours, there has just got to be something for
every taste. Yet that is not all. People also want multi-functionality:
from telephones to smart phones, from computers to tablets, from lamps to
designer items with additional uses. So there are reading lamps that no
longer just provide light, they can be used simultaneously as book rests. And
what at first appeared to be a side table, with its four feet, thick blue
screws and bright overhang, is in reality a standard lamp. Except that it is
also a side table. The limits are fluid, and humour is allowed. Long live this
new freedom for design.
The Trend Forum will be providing exclusive information about the
developments in interior design and trends for the home in 2012/13 at
Light+Building in Frankfurt am Main. The main stylistic trends will each be
presented in a home setting of their own. Responsible for the staging of
these settings will be the well-known design consultants bora.herke.palmisano
of Frankfurt am Main and Berlin. The Trend Forum can be found in
the Foyer between Halls 5.1 and 6.1.
With around 2,100 exhibitors, Light+Building is the world's biggest trade
fair for lighting and intelligent building-services technology, and Messe
Frankfurt expects to welcome over 180,000 visitors from 15 to 20 April 2012.
Energy efficiency is the motto in 2012 and the two top trends are
'Buildings as green power stations' and the 'Digitalisation of light and
buildings'.
Further Information:
www.lightbuilding.de
www.messefrankfurt.com
