Silver A' Design Award in Lighting Products and Fixtures Design Goes to Lead Recycled Cork LED Lantern by Takanori Urata

Takanori Urata recognized for lighting products and fixtures design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Lead Recycled Cork LED Lantern by Takanori Urata, designed for Takanori Urata Design, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Lighting Products and Fixtures Design category. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Silver A' Design Award Explained

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

More About Lead Recycled Cork LED Lantern

Recycled corks from wine bottles consumed in Tokyo are collected and re-molded into the body. The light emitted on the cork's soft surface emits a warm glow on the spot. Compact size that can be carried even in times of a disaster. The gentle light leads you to a hope in any place. Rechargeable for up to 13 hours of lighting. This lighting was designed to contribute to a sustainable society by recycling corkscrews, which are usually thrown away, as a valuable resource. As of now, some of the corks collected from about 750 restaurants in Tokyo are being used.

About Takanori Urata

Embracing a thoroughly modern design style, TAKANORI URATA DESIGN INC. has become one of the most in-demand design firms in the region, celebrated for an ability to create exceptional spaces that are- in every way – unique. Though Takanori works primarily in the architecture and interior design spheres, he has also built a reputation on the back of other pursuits and in other markets, namely, in the package and graphic design industry. Throughout it all, Takanori’s signature remains apparent: crisp, clean and elegant. This has driven TAKANORI URATA DESIGN to thrive in sectors that require a certain sense of modernity, think modern condominiums, cosmetic companies and pharmaceutical clients.

Award Record

Takanori Urata is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards were granted between the 2021 - 2022 and the 2022 - 2023 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Lighting Products and Fixtures Design Award

The A' Lighting Design Award is an international lighting design competition recognizing good lighting designs by best lighting designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to lighting designers, lighting architects, industrial design studios and lighting product manufacturers from all countries. Typical entries include chandeliers, pendant lights, wall sconces, table lamps, floor lamps and outdoor lights. The awarded lighting designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/lighting

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://desingers.org/148100
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/148100
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!148100
Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/306056
Further Information from the Laureate: http://newnormalnew.com/

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Lead Recycled Cork LED Lantern
Function: Recycled Cork LED Lantern
Category: Lighting Products and Fixtures Design
Discipline: Industrial Design
Industry: Furniture & Home and Electronics & Appliances
Colors: Saddle Brown, Black, Maroon and Peru
Images: 5
Client: Takanori Urata Design

The Recognition

Laureate: Takanori Urata
Country: Japan
Recognition: Silver A' Design Award
Edition: 2022 - 2023
Design ID: #148100

Credits

Image Credits: Main image is Image #1：Takanori urata (2022) Optional Image #1：Takanori urata (2022) Optional Image #2：Takanori urata (2022) Optional Image #3：Takanori urata (2022) Optional Image #4：Takanori urata (2022)

Design Details

Unique Properties: It is a portable light which is leading to hope. The body is made of a recycled wine cork which is consumed in Tokyo. The light is lit on the surface of the soft cork gives off a warm glow to the place. Rechargeable and compact enough to carry even in times of a disaster. It can be lit about 13 hours.
Inspiration: The exhibition was held in Tokyo in the fall of 2022, which is called NEW NORMAL, NEW STANDARD and it presented designs for comfortable preparedness exhibition. In the exhibition, six designers proposed ways to incorporate comfortable preparedness design into our daily lives, so that we can be prepared comfortably and without unnecessary stress, so that we can spend our daily lives peacefully and safely with our loved ones and family. I designed a lantern that is portable and emits a soothing light even in an emergency. The main material I used was cork. Moreover, I chose recycled cork made from cork stoppers of wine bottles consumed at restaurants in Tokyo.
Research: I used to think of cork as a common and uninteresting material. This time, however, I discovered that cork can be a very attractive material by using recycled cork compressed more densely than natural cork wood, precisely shaving and processing it, and shining light on it. We are convinced that we can still make new discoveries by changing our viewpoints on materials.
Challenge: Keeping the size as compact as possible was very difficult. Considerable effort was put into the internal design in order to meet the required applications, such as light intensity and lighting time (battery size). In addition, the recycled cork used for the body is a very soft material, so it was very difficult to precisely carve it out. Fortunately, however, we were able to find a factory with advanced processing technology, which enabled us to create the ideal shape.
Realization and Technology: Today in Tokyo, a lot of bottle of wine are enjoyed drinking. It is said that about 150 million bottles of wine are consumed in Tokyo each year. It means that Tokyo consumes roughly one-third of Japan's total wine consumption. The activity is called Tokyo Cork Project collects and recycles corks stoppers of wine which are consumed in large quantities along with wine, as a treasure house of recycled resources. In addition to its gentle texture, cork has excellent elasticity and heat retention properties, is nearly impervious to water, and is slightly breathable. Because of these exceptional characteristics, it is attracting attention as a natural material with great potential.
Operation and Interaction: The lighting is activated by pressing the switch in the center of the top surface of the main unit. In addition, a hook is attached to the top surface. It is also possible to hang it on something for outdoor use. The USB-C connector can be used for charging. The small lamp next to the port lights up red when charging is in progress, and glows blue when charging is complete.
Project Duration and Location: The exhibition, held in Tokyo in the fall of 2022 NEW NORMAL, NEW STANDARD Design for Comfortable Preparation" exhibition held in Tokyo in the fall of 2022.
Specifications: Size Diameter 55mm Height 105mm Weight 133g Specifications Machined aluminum Recycled cork LED light Built-in battery lithium-ion battery USB-C port
Keywords: Lighting fixtures, portable lighting, LED lighting, compact lighting, gentle light, soothing light, recycled cork, sustainable, sustainability, circular society