HOMEWORK 1 | CASE STUDY COMPARISON
Embedded Files
PH5 LAMP.
Poul Henningsen
Country: Denmark 🇩🇰
Country: Denmark 🇩🇰
Design:
PH 5 Pendant Lamp – layered, glare-free hanging lamp with a sleek, minimalist silhouette.
Designer:
Poul Henningsen (1894–1967) – Danish designer, architect, and cultural critic.
Cultural Influence:
The design reflects Scandinavian values of hygge (comfort and coziness), democratic design, and human-centric functionality. The PH 5 lamp is engineered to provide pleasant, glare-free lighting—emphasizing well-being and comfort in everyday life.
Background & History:
Henningsen began developing lighting designs in the 1920s and continued refining his philosophy over decades. He created the first version of his multi-shade lighting system in 1925 to address the discomfort caused by harsh electric light bulbs. The PH system used concentric, curved shades to diffuse and reflect light softly.
The PH 5, launched in 1958, is his most famous version. Its design includes painted interiors that subtly color the light, enhancing the warmth of interior spaces. Produced by Louis Poulsen, the PH 5 remains one of Denmark's most iconic lighting designs and exemplifies the core values of Danish modernism: functionality, simplicity, and beauty.
AKARI LIGHT SCULPTURES
Isamu Noguchi
Country: Japan 🇯🇵
Country: Japan 🇯🇵
Design:
Akari Light Sculptures – lightweight paper lamps resembling floating lanterns.
Designer:
Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) – Japanese-American sculptor and designer.
Cultural Influence:
The Akari lamps are deeply influenced by traditional Japanese chĹŤchin lanterns, which are typically made of bamboo and paper and used during festivals. Noguchi reinterpreted this traditional object through the lens of modernist sculpture, blending East Asian craftsmanship with Western aesthetics.
Background & History:
In 1951, Isamu Noguchi visited the town of Gifu, Japan, known for its paper lantern and umbrella craftsmanship. Inspired by the artisans and their processes, he collaborated with the Ozeki Company to create his own series of hand-crafted paper lamps. He named them Akari, meaning "light" in Japanese, which also connotes brightness and clarity.
Noguchi described Akari as “the removal of the hard glare of electricity” and instead sought to soften it with handmade paper and organic forms. The design philosophy reflects wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic that values imperfection, transience, and simplicity. The lamps became icons of post-war modernism and are still in production today.
Note: This task has two slides
YOUR TASK
YOUR TASK
Read through both case studies - use the additional links as these have much more information
On the homework slide, contrast and compare both designs, following the guided questions
Explain and justify: Ensure that you are explaining and justifying your points - provide examples to help support this
HOMEWORK 2 | CAD PRACTICE
YOUR TASK
YOUR TASK
Choose one of the two video tutorials below and follow the instructions to complete the design yourself.
Add your design to the homework 2 portfolio slide
Answert the questions on the slide
OPTION 1: SILHOUETTE DESIGN
OPTION 2: WOOD JOINT DESIGN
G8 Light 2_Fusion 360.mov
G8 Fusion 360 Light 1.movPage updated
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