Natural Light with Velux
Little Sun and Velux bring Natural Light lamps to off-grid Africa
We’re happy to announce that our collaboration with Velux to develop and bring Natural Light lamps to communities that are very much in need in off-grid Africa has been a wonderful success. Velux has beautifully documented several stories from farmers, midwives, school teachers and young women at risk on how the lamps are already making a difference.
It all began with a design competition, established by Velux and Little Sun on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Velux.
From the impressive 172 Natural Light lamp designs entered from 65 countries across the world, the jury of the Natural Light – International Design Competition selected the winners: Ms. Mariana Arando and Mr. Luca Fondello, design students of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Little Sun congratulates these talented young designers on their winning lamp: a simple, poetic idea that the jury felt fulfilled all the competition’s criteria.
Arando, (22 years old), and Fondello, (23 years old), both live in Buenos Aires and are studying Industrial Design at the University of Buenos Aires (Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning).
“We are very excited to have won the Natural Light – International Design Competition. We liked the idea of helping and empowering people who do not have electricity and that was our primary motivating factor throughout the whole process,”
VELUX has now sent thousands of affordable and sustainable solar lamps produced from the winning design to communities in Africa without access to electricity and the lamps are already changing lives.
Jury member and Little Sun founder Olafur Eliasson commented further:
“Providing access to light is not only about answering a functional need. It is also about understanding the intimate link between energy and our aspirations, our common global desire for happiness. I strongly believe that these two aspects of design must always be seen as one. The winning design addresses both – and more: it understands that holding energy in your hand makes you feel empowered. This design is empowering.”
Little Sun would like to thank all those who entered. More on the Natural Light story can be found here.
The Natural Light International Design Competition: a summary
To mark the 75th anniversary of VKR Holding, the VELUX Group and Little Sun partnered to challenge talented design students around the world to create a special edition solar lamp – helping to bring clean, sustainable light to people without access to electricity. For more information, visit: naturallight.org
The Natural Light solar lamp is being distributed in partnership with Plan International. Download the press release here.
