TEAM: Jon Lamborena, Garazi Mitxelena, Morgane Monti

Workshop between Mondragon Unibersitatea and Ecole supérieure de design des Landes (ESDL)

On the basis of the proposal launched by the VELUX Group and Little Sun, through the NATURAL LIGHT International Design Competition, we have created BLOCK LAMP. It is a social lamp directed to the off-grid areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, and it is born with the objective of sharing the light all together.

 

We have identified that in the African cultures, words such as community and together, have got a strong and powerful meaning, and we wanted to translate this into a lamp.

 

Taking advantage of its simple rectangular geometry, it gives the opportunity of adding one next to another or over it, in many different ways and with different combinations, depending on the situation, just like construction bricks. Each family would have his lamp and when the whole community stays together (for studying, for cooking, for having fun...) they can build a 

big light point for everyone, with each families BLOCK.

 

With the holes on the corners, it is possible to hang it with a rope so it can be charged hanged outside the houses, or you can carry it with you and charge it at the same time, suspending it from a bag. This detail is important because allows also to use the BLOCK as a suspending lamp in a simple way.

 

BLOCK LAMP is a really simple solution, thought to be manufactured in the simplest way as possible and low material and energy consumption. The idea is to use white translucent polypropylene for the light diffusion part, and opaque for the electronics compartment; both parts are as thinnest as possible, with the aim of reducing materials and costs. Polypropylene could be a good material selection, because it can be translucent or opaque, it is hydrophobic, rigid and resistant to abrasion. It is also cheap, non-toxic, tear proof, resistant to bending and recyclable, and an excellent electrical insulator.

 

It could be a really interesting tool for hundreds of families and communities of Africa that don ́t have electricity in their environment, and could help a lot in their daily life, integrating it in their social lifestyle and tradition.