Founded in March 2000 by Dr. Susan Hakkarainen, Ivalo Lighting has a three-part mission.
- To create decorative lighting fixtures of advanced-design and the highest level of quality.
- To create fixtures which integrate architecturally into their surroundings, rather than appearing as discrete objects in the room.
- To assemble the best designers from around the world to produce a diverse design collection.
In all three aspects of the mission, Ivalo judiciously employs advanced technologies to realize these goals, reaching beyond the conventional manufacturing techniques of the lighting industry. Many of the companies involved in supplying the parts for Ivalo fixtures are from the automotive and aerospace industry and therefore able to produce the high level of quality and innovative forms required for Ivalo fixtures.
Dr. Hakkarainen’s diverse and broad background has allowed Ivalo to operate differently than other decorative lighting fixture families. In addition to growing up in a lighting family (her father founded Lutron) she:
- worked on part of the Hubbel Space telescope
- received a PhD from MIT in the area of fusion energy
- was Vice President of International Marketing for Lutron
- was General Manager for the ballast and commercial systems division at Lutron.
For the 6th family in the Ivalo Collection, Susan was looking for a new direction.
Architects have a fascination with cars as they represent moving structures in which people spend a significant amount of time. This is in contrast to the static nature of buildings. And the automotive industry has an astonishing mastery of materials, finishes, and strong visual lines, which Susan felt would lead to an innovative new design.
Audi was the natural choice for several reasons:
- The Hakkarainens are a dedicated Audi family. In fact her husband grew up near the testing area in Finland and has never owned a car by any other manufacturer.
- Audi has a strong following amongst the architectural market. The first Generation TT has almost a cult car status amongst architects.
This collaboration embodies the dedication of Ivalo and the Audi Design team to create solutions that incorporate innovation, quality and dynamic beauty.
Project Daedalus was an opportunity for the Audi Design team to contribute their philosophy to above and beyond their usual tasks; Automotive design. Now, one can appreciate Audi design culture in other objects as well. This technical chandelier offers the Audi Design culture in an area that moves even further into lifestyle.
The initial meeting was between Jae Min and Susan Hakkarainen at the first of the Architectural Record Innovation Conferences in 2000. This annual conference was created as a forum to present innovative new ideas to the professional architectural market. Jae Min was invited to present Audi’s design philosophy.
Ivalo uses an architectural approach of selecting a room, understanding it’s needs and issues and then designing an architectural element that is hung from the ceiling that helps to solve the issues in the room.
The initial design brief was to create a new light for a double-height residential entrance hall, a location for which there are few high quality modernist fixtures. The task seemed well suited to Audi’s strengths as entrances are also spaces of transition, which are viewed quickly and in motion.
It needs an object which is cylindrical or round – to allow for the differences in number of entrances into the home - and conveys a sense of motion as it is better for guests to go into the house or out of the house and not linger. The energy of the helical form extending into curved feathers of glass creates this sense of motion.
Also entrances are important because they communicate the formal identity of the homeowner, just as cars convey the taste and status of their drivers. But unlike automobiles, lights are fixed in architectural spaces and must relate to their specific uses and dynamics. This is why this architectural approach is so effective.
Experience
Experience
