The Brick lamp by New York City-based HCWD Studio reinvents how you turn the lights on: instead of flicking a switch or pulling a chord to flood a room with light, you simply need to turn the Brick lamp over.
The portable LED lamp has a built-in battery that is activated when the lamp is lifted and turned right side up. The lamp is turned off when the illuminated side is laid flat against a surface.
This on/off mechanism reconnects the user in a meaningful way with the moment light is revealed or concealed. The LED bulb inside is powered by a built-in lithium-ion battery, that can be charged using a USB cable plugged into either a compatible device like your laptop or a wall socket. When the lamp is fully charged, it will last for up to five hours.
Hsin Chun Wang and Ye Lui are the designers behind HCWD Studio and the modern-day Thomas Edisons behind the Brick lamp. Both graduates of Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, Wang is an industrial designer with a degree in 3D design and Lui is an architect who also currently works as an architectural designer at Tsao & McKown Architects in New York.
The sides of the lamp are slanted making it easy to grab and to direct the light when the brick sits on its sides. It is manufactured in wood, cast concrete and aluminium.
When the lamp sits on its short side, the light is angled upwards; on its long side, the light shines downwards. It’s engineered so the weight is perfectly distributed and it can stand both vertically and horizontally.
The original concept and prototype of the Brick Lamp was launched in 2010 and currently HCWD Studio is going into full production. The prototypes have been exhibited at shows and fairs in New York, Shanghai and Stockholm.
