AVIO Ultralight is a collection of wood pendant lights with an ultra-light structure made out of birch plywood. This material has excellent structural qualities while the manufacturing of the raw sheets (carried out bonding together multiple layers of birch veneer with alternated grain direction) provides elasticity, resistance and stability. Moreover, the high density of this material makes it especially suited for the manufacturing of precise, robust and refined details through digital fabrication.
In the “Avio” quality, from which the name of this collection comes, birch plywood is free of voids between the layers of veneer and it is suitable for the construction of ultralight aircraft. For this reason, it was our first choice to start the design of a progressive collection characterized by structurally sound bodies with finely integrated details. Then, our goal was to take maximum advantage of the qualities of the material itself through a subtle digital design and manufacturing.
The body of the pendants is made of carefully shaped thin ribs that distribute forces on each individual element giving strength to the whole. Due to the redundancy of this elements, the body is robust while it has a limited weight. Avio Ultralight are built with a very little amount of raw material. In addition, both the production and processing of birch plywood itself require fewer resources than, for example, aluminium, plastics or steel; hence, it is a responsible choice for our planet.
For all these reasons, we considered Birch plywood particularly suited to initiate a high-end digital self-production. As a result, AVIO Ultralights are digitally crafted and assembled by hand inside ALO laboratory. The raw materials proceed exclusively from sustainable PEFC and FSC certified productions; these certificates guarantee that the raw material of wood comes from sustainably managed forests.
The geometry of AVIO lights stems from a meticulous design-research about the relationship between light and matter over time. During the day, when natural light prevails, the tectonic structure with deep chiaroscuro effects amplifies the role of pendants as furnishing elements that intensify the surrounding space. In the evening, the relationship between the pendants, the environment and their light beam provides a new interpretation of the design revealing the search for a subtle and local ambient lighting to emphasize the depth of space in a dramatic manner.
With narrow light beams, the lighting bodies have been designed as passive vehicles to carry light in space. Through a parametric study of the shape of the ribs, we avoided the interference between the light beam and the body itself, although it seems to close in front of the projector lens that is located in a backward position with respect to the lower edge of the structure.
The collection currently consists of the models “tipo_uno” and “tipo_due” in relation to the differentiation of the structures that make up the bodies:
After assembly, the wooden structures receive a certified fireproof treatment with a natural finish that does not alter the colouration nor the natural opacity of the material, creating a supernatural effect. The AVIO collection will be enriched with two new indoor models and one outdoor model.
If you would like to order our custom pendant lights please send us a mail!
+ Photographer
Marco Verde
+ Year
2018
+ Keywords
Birch Plywood, Advanced Wood construction, Computational Design, Parametric-Associative Design, Digital Fabrication, laser cut, digital craft
