Lights of the Future Award for 30 visionary lamps and lighting systems to be presented at Light+Building 2008
Products rated for fully-developed, energy-efficient technology, combined with outstanding design
Light+Building, International Trade Fair for Architecture and Technology, from 6 to 11 April in Frankfurt am Main, will be providing a preview of the lighting of the future. Thirty products will be shown which have gained the Lights of the Future Award, all of them visionary yet very real. During Light+Building the prize winners in this competition for energy-saving lamps and energy-efficient lighting systems for both home and commercial premises can be seen at a special show (Hall 6.2, Stand B 78). The prize-giving ceremony will take place at 2.00 p.m. on 7 April in the exhibition area.
A jury of international experts has selected the winners from 197 entries. A total of 143 companies, professional designers and newcomers to the design profession from 24 countries have competed for an award. Newcomers have been assessed in a separate category. Competitors had to satisfy the jury not just that their products used a fully-developed technology, but that they were of outstanding design. The jury assessed the products on five criteria: level of innovation, overall design concept, integration of required illuminant into overall appearance of product, technical quality, and technical feasibility in the near future (only for student designs). Nineteen entries by companies and professional designers and eleven products by newcomer designers succeeded in fulfilling these stringent requirements.
“Companies and designers can use these awards deliberately to spotlight the outstanding quality of their products”, says Iris Jeglitza- Moshage, head of technical fairs at Messe Frankfurt. “And for newcomers to the design profession the competition is a chance to gain a profile in the industry and to use the award to spotlight their potential in design.”
The jury of seven consisted of the following experts on the industry:
- Ulrike Brandi, Ulrike Brandi Licht - Lichtplanung und Leuchtenentwicklung GmbH, Hamburg
- Uwe Fischer, Uwe Fischer ? Industrial Design, Frankfurt am Main
- Almut Ernst, Grüntuch Ernst Architects BDA, Berlin
- Francesca Picchi, journalist, Domus magazine, Milan
- Bert Nederlof, Fagerhult France, St Genis Laval, France
- Hubert Müller, VDE Test and Certification Institute, Offenbach am Main
- Dr. Paolo Bertoldi, European Commission DG JRC, Ispra, Italy
This design competition was created in 1999 by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) and has been organised since 2004 by Messe Frankfurt. The European Commission continues to work as a joint partner and ideal sponsor of the competition. The German Design Council has also successfully contributed to Lights of the Future its experience in organising and holding competitions.
You will find further information on Light+Buidling at www.lightbuilding.messefrankfurt.com. A catalogue with illustrations and information on both the products and their manufacturers and designers is available for EUR 6 during the special show in Hall 6.2.
