The secret is in the spring-balanced arm. The L-1 arm is balanced by springs that work on the action and reaction principle of human arm muscles.

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2 The secret is in the spring-balanced arm. The L-1 arm is balanced by springs that work on the action and reaction principle of human arm muscles. The construction provides complete freedom of movement, and makes it possible to place the light exactly where it is needed.

3 The L-1 story 2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the original Luxo L-1 task light, designed by Jac Jacobsen in It is still in production. Not many industrial products are still going strong after such a long period of time. This calls for a celebration! A story of quality L-1 was designed by Luxo s founder, the Norwegian industrialist Jac Jacobsen. He had received two crane-like spring balanced luminaries as part of a shipment of sewing machines from England. Being technically minded he took a fancy to the strange looking luminaries, with their great functionality and timeless beauty. Although the technical invention was ingenious, Jac Jacobsen soon realized that the construction as a whole was primitive. He succeeded in improving it. Manufacturing started in 1937 under the name Luxo, derived from Latin I give light. Jac Jacobsen ( ) was in his thirties when he launched Luxo L-1. His approach to competition was distinctly modern: Competition is good for us, it makes the product better known and those who want quality will choose L-1, he was fond of saying. Design icon and productivity booster L-1 soon became known as a real productivity booster in schools, offices, industrial plants and health care facilities, and a design icon among architects and designers all over the world. L-1 remains a classic because of its unique and advanced arm technology, combined with high light output and emphatic design features. It is still in high demand, and to date we have sold more than 25 million units worldwide. Jac Jacobsen s original drawing of L-1 3

4 Almost human The spring-balanced L-1 was modeled on the human arm. The flexibility of the construction allows for almost human movements. It certainly has a personality! 4

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6 Early production. From the paint shop in Oslo. Ca

7 Design icon and productivity booster. The freedom of movement and the ability to place the light exactly where it was needed forever changed our working environments.

8 L-1 timeline L-1 has undergone a number of alterations during its 75-year life span. Most noticeably have we on occasion changed the shape of the shade. Here is a selection of L-1 lamp shades through the years, with information about the first year of manufacture. The current version was launched in 2009 and is almost identical to the 1937 model, with the light switch in its original position at the front of a slim shade

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10 2012: Industry meets architecture In celebration of the 75th anniversary we invited the Finnish architect Vesa Honkonen to create a suite of colours for a limited anniversary collection of L-1. He has chosen to go back in history. Here he explains why: Industrialization and the legacy of Le Corbusier Western European industrialization started to show the way for the future in the 18th century, particularly in the United Kingdom. Progress takes time. Form finds its new expression slowly. By the early 20th century, design and architecture was getting a lot of inspiration from the new age of machines and industry. L-1 is a successful industrial product, but also a proud and self-reliant representative of the design ideals of its time. It still catches the eye, it still works. When I started looking for new colours for L-1, it did not feel right just to make do with the industrialized colours we use today. I felt that the new L-1 colours should have the same depth as the L-1. So I went back to the 1930ies and the colour palette created by Le Corbusier in 1931: polychromie architecturale. As an architect, painter and artist, he had created his own palette for use in architecture. Le Corbusier used natural pigments. His colours have depth, they shine. His palette is based on his interpretation of how people feel about colours, how they perceive space with their senses. Luckily there are people who still work with these colours. L-1 now has a new skin from the 1930ies, based on a system that creates harmony by combining colours that work well together. It is my hope that the colour qualities of the anniversary collection of L-1 will help create a new awareness of the possibilities that lie in using the colours of Le Corbusier in today s architecture and design projects. Because these are qualities that will still be fresh after 75 years. Like the quality of Luxo L-1. Vesa Honkonen 10

11 Finnish architect Vesa Honkonen is active in the fields of architecture, lighting design, interior design and product design, with studios in Helsinki and Stockholm. He is a professor at the Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, and a professor at the Guandong University of Technology in China. Projects include large scale urban lighting and interior lighting commissions as well as buildings. 11

12 The 75th anniversary colour collection vert anglais pâle ombre naturelle

13 We are pleased to present the 75th anniversary collection of L-1 in a selection of colours from Le Corbusier s unique colour keyboards, les claviers de couleurs, first published in Les Couleurs Le Corbusier are trademarked nuances orchestrated by Les Couleurs Suisse AG, based on a worldwide mandate from La Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris. The L-1 anniversary colours have been chosen from the velour (velvet) colour keyboards, which Le Corbusier considered particularly suitable for office environments. Here our anniversary collection is displayed against a cream-coloured background from the same colour keyboard. This background nuance is blanc. According to Le Corbusier s colour harmony logic, blanc qualifies as an architecturally highly eminent wall colour in a room featuring design objects and furniture in the L-1 anniversary colours. rouge rubia

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15 Polychromie architecturale The polychromie architecturale colour collections are among Le Corbusier s masterpieces, arising from experiences, insights and convictions developed during his long, creative life. Unique colour principles Le Corbusier formed three principles for the physiological and psychological effects of colours on the spectator: Colour modifies space. Colour classifies objects. Colour acts physiologically upon us and reacts strongly upon our sensitivities. His polychromie architecturale is based on these principles. Two collections: 1931 and 1959 During his career Le Corbusier created two colour collections: the first in 1931, and the second in Both comprise of a set of shades that are organized in such a way that an individual colour selection corresponding to the personality of the customer can be achieved very simply. Each consists of a set of claviers de couleurs (colour keyboards). Charles Édouard Jeanneret ( ), famous as Le Corbusier, was an architect, urbanist, artist and designer. He is considered one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. For Le Corbusier, the colour concepts of his constructions and designs were equally important to him as his floor plans and forms. In his first keyboards Le Corbusier developed twelve sentiments with representative names such as space, sky, velvet, and sand. Each sentiment contains a collection of 14 accentual colours that can be mixed in accordance with the needs and designs of architect and customer. Almost 30 years later Le Corbusier created his 1959 collection with a total of 20 stronger and more dynamic base tones. Le Corbusier s colour harmony logic is not just a tool for colour selection. It is a work of art in its own right. 15

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22 L-1 LED has exactly the same arm construction and shape of shade as the 1937 original. Modern push-button technology in a characteristic 1930ies-style button house allows for dimming and energy-efficient timer functionality.

23 L-1 LED. For the next 75 years. We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of L-1 by launching the LED version: L-1 LED. This way we believe that L-1 will live for at least another 75 years. The incandescent light bulb end of an era It is impossible to put a price on the value of the incandescent light bulb and its impact on human life. The invention of the incandescent light bulb forever changed a world lit only by fire. Electric lighting was developed and commercialized by Thomas A. Edison and others towards the end of the 19th century, and the old-fashioned incandescent light bulb has held a position as the number one light source in people s homes for more than a hundred years. Our L-1 task light owes part of its exceptional long life to the success of the incandescent light bulb. These days, however, incandescent light bulbs are being phased out all over the world. Other light sources are fast taking over, and LED is by far the most interesting. LED: Light source of the future! A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a semiconductor that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LED s are extremely energy-efficient, when properly applied. They can be used on their own, or assembled into modules for added power. L-1 LED is equipped with a 6 Watt module with dimmable light emitting diodes, which provide bright, warm light. It even has a timer: L-1 LED automatically turns itself off after 4 or 9 hours in order to save energy. Light emitting diodes have an incredibly long life span. The diodes in L-1 have a life expectancy of 50,000 hours. You may never have to change the light source! 23

24 The Luxo history of lighting for the individual begins with the development of the Luxo L-1 task light by Jac Jacobsen in The secret was in the springbalanced arm: The freedom of movement and the ability to place the light exactly where it was needed forever changed our working environments. It was the start of a range of lighting products that are ergonomically correct and individually adaptable, avoiding glare and other health related problems. Luxo products are energy-efficient. They are known for their aesthetic design, quality mechanics, high finish and careful material selection. The modern Luxo range includes task lights, illuminated magnifiers and medical lighting products, as well as a selection of decorative general lighting products Glamox Luxo Lighting. Photography: Nils Petter Dale. Article no. BKL1JUB L-1 anniversary colour collection The L-1 anniversary collection presented in this publication is available in a selection of colours from Le Corbusier s unique colour keyboards, les claviers de couleurs, first published in Les Couleurs Le Corbusier are trademarked nuances orchestrated by Les Couleurs Suisse AG, based on a worldwide mandate from La Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris. 24