Belux
BELUX develops and produces lamps and lighting systems, and regards light as a fundamental element of spatial design. BELUX products are used in both public buildings and private homes. BELUX is based in Switzerland and works closely with internationally renowned designers and architects. The idea behind this collaboration is the development of innovative lighting solutions and new kinds of lighting concepts.
BELUX was set up in 1970 by Thomas Egloff. The firm was based in the Swiss town of Gebensdorf and started with the sale of highquality lamps, but soon switched to the development and production of individual lighting solutions for public buildings. In the late seventies, it established an alliance with designer Hannes Wettstein, which resulted in the SNODO and BALL lamps. The development of designer lamps became more and more a core activity at BELUX. METRO - the first lowvoltage cable track lighting system in the world and still a classic member of the range - followed in 1982. In the same year, BELUX started the licensed production of the extravagant furniture and objects designed by Memphis, the legendary Italian group surrounding Ettore Sottsass and Michele de Lucchi. In 1984, BELUX organised an international lamp design competition. The jury, with prominent members like Achille Castiglioni and Trix and Robert Haussmann, adjudicated over 400 designs by young designers from all over the world. First prize went to Jo Niemeyer's TUBO, which went into mass production at BELUX soon after. Benjamin Thut's lamp LIFTO, which has since won a number of awards, was also the result of the competition. In 1986, BELUX moved to Wohlen, where the company continued to expand its range of designs: at the end of the eighties, BELUX and Jürgen Medebach developed CONTACTO, the low-voltage plug lighting system. In the 1992 exhibition entitled "Privates Licht", which travelled the world, the company presented experimental lamp designs from renowned designers. In the same year, the pioneering office system called ECONOMY came onto the market. This system uses the ceiling as a reflector, forming the basis for a brand new lighting concept. In 1995, to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary, Hannes Wettstein presented the modular spotlight system called CYOS. In 1996, BELUX reached another milestone with the introduction of Reto Schöpfer's UPDOWN, as the energy-saving fluorescent lamp was launched on the consumer market. The second half of the 1990s saw the development of a series of new lighting concepts that won major design awards, such as EEDISSON, AURA, OPTIC, DIOGENES, TULIP, YPSILON and SURVE. BELUX Products have been awarded:
Red Dot for highest design quality (list best of the best) of the Design Center Nordrhein Westfalen,
International design price Baden-Württemberg,Design Yearbook,Swiss Design Prize,IF Product Design Award and many others. |
