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M rs Tofting, Arne Jacobsen worked only for three years for Vola, from 1968 long time until an employee masters this skill. But, for Vola, the brushed stainless-
steel surface is an autonomous feature which cannot be copied.
to 1971, until shortly before his death, but he was an essential trendsetter.
How strongly is the spirit of Vola still tied to Arne Jacobsen?
For Vola, Arne Jacobsen continues to have a huge significance. We studied his work and r There were additional significant innovations ...
his design philosophy very thoroughly and for many years collaborated with one of his Yes, a further important product innovation was the completely contactless RS series.
closest associates, Teit Weylandt. Together with him, we further developed the ideas of Fittings, soap dispensers, paper-towel dispensers and waste bins are built into the
Arne Jacobsen. I myself have now been working for Vola for 33 years, had many talks wall and can be operated without touching them. This series has won a large num-
with Teit Weylandt. In 2006, when we started cooperating with Link Arkitektur, we ber of international awards for innovative design. Our T39 towel warmer as well,
analysed the whole range in order to scrutinize the design DNA of Vola. We studied in which is constructed as a modular system and individually manufactured for each
depth the proportions and the intersections where two elements are joined. This fund customer, is unique and revolutionary in its kind.
served as the starting point for new design elements. Each new Vola design is always a
reinterpretation which further develops the original design approach by Arne Jacobsen. r Link Arkitektur – formerly Aarhus Arkitekterne – have been designing for Vola
since 2006, for instance the T39 towel warmer you mentioned and the 060 round
r Company founder Verner Overgaard succeeded in establishing a strong, interna- shower head. The geometries based on the circle and the cylinder and the mini-
tionally known brand. Which were the measures he took to achieve this? malism remind of Arne Jacobsen. Is this design vocabulary a must at Vola?
Verner Overgaard was a fascinating personality. Since 1985, since I joined Vola, I had All the decisions regarding the Vola design are made by our product committee con-
been closely working with him. He was interested in art, especially in painting, and sisting of the whole management together with the technicians. The identity of Vola
was himself a painter in his spare time. He never compromised when it came to products is clearly defined. All Vola products have to be on a high level as to aesthet-
design. We still don’t do this. In this way, Vola’s authenticity was preserved and the ics; they have to be timeless, based on geometrical basic forms, to be modularly con-
company developed into a strong, internationally known brand. structed, have high craftsmanship quality and must be made of the best materials.

r Vola stands for timelessness, flexibility and modularity. Which are the most r Vola has always been producing in Denmark. Will this also remain the case in
important product innovations of the past 50 years? the future considering quality- and financial reasons in a global market?
In retrospect, one of the most important product innovations was the introduction of Vola products are made in Denmark. The organization which lives according to the
stainless steel. That was in 2001. Until then, all the Vola fittings had been made of brand values every single day and is responsible for the quality is very important for
brass. In 2001, we started offering the fittings in solid, brushed stainless steel. A major us. The people who are behind our products – our craftsmen, mechanics – are the heart
challenge as to production technology since stainless steel is a very hard material. of the company. The Vola family includes all age groups. It is about solidarity and the
Brushing the surfaces was also a completely new task. For each and every product, shared understanding of what it means to be Danish and to work for our company.
we were asked to give our view on the direction of the brushes since the surface is a That is also why we let the employees speak for Vola in our seven films which were
very important design element. The surface is mainly brushed by hand and it takes a made on the occasion of the anniversary, And we show the production processes.

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