Copenhagen,
03
November
2014
|
00:00
Europe/Copenhagen

Design Competition brings sustainable light to Africa

Summary

For nearly 75 years, the VELUX Group has worked to improve living conditions around the world by bringing daylight into people's homes. To mark this milestone, the VELUX Group is partnering with Little Sun, a social business and global project founded by internationally renowned artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen, to improve living conditions for people in areas of the world without electricity. In a global competition, design students from around the world are invited to bring sustainable light to off-grid areas in Africa by designing a Little Sun special edition solar lamp.

As an experienced producer of sustainable and engaging lighting solutions for off-grid African communities, Little Sun is the perfect partner for the VELUX Group; a company which has devoted almost 75 years to bringing daylight into the lives of people by manufacturing a wide range of solutions for homes, such as the well-known roof windows and modular skylights.

Together, the two companies are proud to present the international design competition Nat-ural Light. Design students from all over the world are invited to create a special edition solar lamp for the VELUX Group and Little Sun in honor of the 75th anniversary. 29,000 units of the winning design will be produced, and a substantial amount of lamps will be sold in off-grid regions of Africa at locally affordable prices, like the original Little Sun lamp.

Through Natural Light, we're giving design students a unique opportunity to have their own creations produced and marketed globally. For the winning designer, this is a great show-case. But more importantly, the designer will help provide sustainable light and fresh air to homes that were previously lit by smoking kerosene lamps – if they had light at all.
Michael K. Rasmussen, Marketing Director of the VELUX Group