Light as a factor of social innovation. This is the vision of iGuzzini, a company founded in 1959, part of the Fagerhult Group since 2019. Over three decades, iGuzzini has focused on light for architecture, involving great designers (Renzo Piano, Gae Aulenti, Michele De Lucchi, Alfonso Femia, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Ron Arad…) who together with the company have developed a design concept of high technological value, at the service of creators, where luminous performance and miniaturization of fixtures and optical groupings become fundamental requirements.
To meet these challenges, the Italian firm designs and produces optical parts in-house, constructing surprising architectures of light. And there’s more. “The new lighting systems of iG set out to make the difference in terms of wellbeing for people and the planet,” says Simone Poeta, a specialist in the Connectivity department of the company coordinated by Antonio Levantesi.
“Through connectivity and control systems, it is possible to be more sustainable and effective,” Poeta explains. “Today lighting is all about LEDs, a technology that already offers good energy savings. Through the improvement of control systems, according to a study we have commissioned from Politecnico di Milano, we could save another 50-70%. This is now possible through our new products, like the Light Shed 14 with built-in sensors and bluetooth, easily controlled via smartphone. These systems, for example, are able to detect the presence of people in different workspaces or contract settings, monitoring their movements and adjusting light intensity where needed.”
The same technology can be used on streets, bicycle paths and pedestrian zones, where the movement is recorded and the lighting fixtures are turned on prior to the passage of people, bikes and vehicles (after which they turn off again). Other applications include stores and museums, to light up points of interest in sequence, under the control of an app.
“We have developed our own app, Jiminy,” Poeta continues, “which through the cloud is capable of emitting reports. The possible services are many and varied: just consider use in hospitals, for real time monitoring of portable life-saving machinery.”
The commitment extends to corporate realities: at the headquarters in Recanati, the third floor – originally utilized for managerial and executive offices – has been transformed into the new Lighthinking Space designed by APML Architetti, a large multifunctional space of 400 sqm conceived for social contact and work, open to the entire community of iGuzzini.
“We have imagined the Lighthinking Space as a tangible manifesto of the strategic vision of iGuzzini, with the aim of communicating to our community – employees, professionals, suppliers, clients and partners – the drivers on which to base growth and above all the five values that have to guide it, which precisely for this reason have been selected as markers of the internal areas,” says Cristiano Venturini, CEO of iGuzzini.
“In this open, transparent and professional space, everyone has to be free to express themselves and to interact in a respectful, humane way, to share codes and methods while feeling like part of a group, making an active contribution to the company’s progress.”
Technological products translate into the collection Living Vibes and draw on the legacy of culture, research, experimentation and engineering of iGuzzini: Libera, Allure, BeTwo and Whisper, this year’s new entries, bring professional lighting design into spaces for living and hospitality. The goal of the design effort is to revolutionize the concept of light, translating visual comfort and innovative optics according to each scenario of habitation, public or private. All this happens through innovation and patents for the optical devices, and technology that improves technical lighting and energy performance in all directions.
The company does not betray its history: in 2022 iGuzzini presented Italian Echoes, a collection of historical reissues drawing on the brand’s large archives, as a tribute to the Italian design of the last 60 years. Projects are put back into production in updated versions, with more sustainable light sources and contemporary materials: Zurigo by Luigi Massoni (1966); Polsino by Gio Ponti (1968); Nitia by Rodolfo Bonetto (1971); Sorella by Harvey, 1972). Signature pieces that are now joined this year by Clan, designed by Harvey (1968).
