Lighting the way

It was the inadequacies of an Italian standard lamp that prompted Rico and Rosmarie Baltensweiler to develop a floor lamp of their own back in 1951. Easy to adjust and simply designed, the model the electrical engineer and interior designer came up with has become a classic in the Baltensweiler collection. But as a smiling Rosmarie Baltensweiler reveals in a film celebrating the firm’s 60th anniversary, it didn’t even have a name for a long time. Only when somebody ordered “the one that looks like a sun” did she and her husband decide it was time to give it a proper name and christened the floor lamp TYPE 600.

What started out as a way to meet their own needs and with no commercial intentions struck a chord – initially with architects and friends – and eventually laid the foundations for the Baltensweiler company and its lighting collection. The products are characterised by the fact that their design and technology are always geared towards the development of the light sources, resulting in an apparently endless abundance of new forms. What’s more, rather than following trends, Baltensweiler’s considerations focus on production technology and various aspects of product longevity.

After the incandescent light bulb, which was used for the original edition of TYPE 600, the lighting market discovered a new type of light source in the early 1970s: having already caused a sensation in the auto industry, the halogen lamp was soon bringing its advantages to domestic settings as well. It also permitted the development of HALO 250, a timeless design that emits a very bright light and, like TYPE 600, has become a milestone in Baltensweiler’s history.

The next major step came hand in hand with the use of LEDs for private interiors. The energy-efficient light-emitting diodes, which provide high luminous efficacy but generate very little heat, enabled Baltensweiler to launch the ZETT reading lamp, the torch-like TOPOLED and the linear LET series. 2009 saw the advent of other technical innovations like the conductive ball-and-socket joint, the telescopic height adjustment mechanism and the magnetic contact.

In 2014, the lighting family was extended with the addition of LYS, an extremely bright, modular light with slender aluminium profiles that look like branches. The latest newcomer to the Baltensweiler family is FEZ, which was successfully launched in autumn 2015.

As for sustainability, Camillo E. Settele names the company’s timeless design language, the mechanical and technical solutions it develops for its luminaires and the high level of service as key factors. What’s more, he says, Baltensweiler still has spare parts for the very first lamps that were launched 65 years ago, or produces them again when necessary. CE

BALTENSWEILER: The independent Swiss lighting manufacturer has 65 years of expertise when it comes to producing timeless, top-quality lamps for the premium segment. And with more than 15 years of experience with LED technology to draw on, the company is an expert for consistent and innovative lighting concepts for private and office settings. ABOVE: From left to right: Lukas Niederberger (head of design and development), Camillo E. Settele (head of sales and marketing), Karin and Gabriel Baltensweiler (managing directors) and Ilario Meier (workshop manager).

Photos: Baltensweiler

BALTENSWEILER
Staldenhof 2
6014 Lucerne
Tel. 0041 (0)41 429 00 30
Fax 0041 (0)41 429 00 31
info@baltensweiler.ch