Daring to innovate
“It was a major challenge for our development team,” explains Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl, founder and CEO of the Nimbus Group, talking about his latest product. That said, their efforts paid off at the end of the day. In the form of the “Lighting Pad Lounge” the Stuttgart-based specialists in LED lighting systems and acoustically effective space-structuring elements are now presenting nothing less than a new archetype. With its organically curved shell made of real wood veneer, this cross between a luminaire and an acoustic panel cuts a fine figure, both in the office and at home, melding cozy elegance with down-to-earth functionality.
For the underside of the “Lighting Pad Lounge” Nimbus uses a sound-absorbing molded non-woven with integrated lenses that focus light while avoiding glare. Additional lenses on the top make for atmospheric ceiling illumination. Integrated into the “Lighting Pad Lounge” are smart functions including control by means of the “Häfele Connect Mesh app” based on Bluetooth low energy technology. Now, for the first time, it all the digital technology expertise at the Nimbus Group and developed in its new competent center has been brought to bear in combination with the technical know-how of Häfele, a fittings technology and electronic locking systems specialist in Stuttgart. Conventional operation by means of a wall switch, sensor or remote control are not the only options here, the app also creates new opportunities, for instance, altering the luminaire’s color temperature, thus making all kinds of lighting scenarios possible.
As well as its functionality and its flexible design, “Lighting Pad Lounge” also boasts sustainable components, as all three wood options – Santos Palisander, Black Cherry and Classic Oak – are the products of sustainable forestry. “This is one of the most emotional products I have ever been involved in,” comments Brennenstuhl when discussing the development process. It is also definitely one of the most complex, and its execution skillfully combines various different approaches.
