Altera Moli Fegalegaleai by Dilara Ozbent

Altera Moli Fegalegaleai by Dilara Ozbent is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Uʻamea in Mamanu Malamalama Competition Category.

UʻameaMalamalama· 2026

Altera Moli Fegalegaleai

by Dilara Ozbent

Client: Dilara Özbent

A' Design Award Uʻamea Winner in Malamalama Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #172047

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Altera Moli Fegalegaleai

O le uiga maaleale, tafe ma toetoe lava a manino o le maamora e faamanatu mai ai le vai. A o suʻesuʻeina lenei sootaga, na aliaʻe mai ai puipui o vaipuna afu e fai ma musumusuga. O le vai o loo susulu i luga o maa e iai ona faatagaina na faailoa mai ai le malamalama o loo faamamāina i totonu o elemene maamora. I le atagia ai o le naunautaiga o le tagata e paʻi atu i le natura, na tuputupu aʻe ai lenei manatu i se mamanu faamalamalama faaonaponei e mafai ona paʻi i ai, e sili atu nai lo le naʻo le faamalamalamaina, ae ofoina atu se aafiaga malosi ma le patino i le tagata lava ia. Faatasi ai ma apaʻau maamora e mafai ona feliuliuaʻi, e mafai ai e tagata faaaogā ona faafoliga le malamalama ma le foliga i o latou lava lima. O le mamanu e tuufaatasia ai le maamora tipi manifinifi mo le faasalalauina o le malamalama, se fausaga apamemea ma diffusers LED faanenefu.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Uʻamea

O le A' Design Award Uʻamea na manumalo ai Altera Moli Fegalegaleai, o se faamaoniga mamalu e tuuina atu i mamanu lelei e faataunuu ai manaʻoga faapolofesa ma pisinisi e faamoemoeina mai galuega ua mamanuina lelei. O ē manumalo i le Uʻamea e faaalia ai le tomai tele, le faapitoa maualuga, le malamalama o tagata poto ma le mafai fatufatuaʻi o ē na faia. E faamoemoeina Altera Moli Fegalegaleai e avea ma mea ua matuā vivii, mataʻina ma pelepelea e aogā ma fou. O lenei mamanu na manumalo i le A' Design Award Uʻamea e tuufaatasia ai faiga sili o le pisinisi ma e iai uiga faatekonolosi mafai ua fesoʻotaʻi ma le poto ma le taleni. Ona o lona faatuatuaina, e tatau ai Altera Moli Fegalegaleai ona faaaloalogia ma ua mamanuina e tuuina mai ai faaleleiga o le olaga e fesoasoani e faia ai e le lalolagi se nofoaga e sili atu ona lelei.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Altera is an interactive lighting family that goes beyond illumination, offering a dynamic and personal experience. With rotatable marble wings, it allows users to shape both light and form by hand. By embracing diversity and individuality, it creates an emotional connection, making lighting an organic part of everyday life. With its simple design, Altera generates endless alternatives, offering a balance of function, aesthetics, and personalization while transforming spaces with ever-changing play of light and shadow.
Dimensions & Packaging: Dimensions of the Altera lighting fixture family. Width x Depth x Height in mm:
Floor Lamp: 320 x 320 x 1385 mm.
Wall Lamp: 240 x 320 x 420 mm.
Pendant Lamp: 240 x 240 x 420 mm plus cable.
Tags: Lamp, Floor Lamp, Pendant Lamp, Wall Lamp, Lighting, Marble, Rotating Panels, Interactive, User-Centered Design, Customizable
Production Technology: The design integrates thin-cut marble for controlled light diffusion, brass for structural support, and frosted LED diffusers. CNC cutting enables precise fabrication of the marble panels, mounted to vertical profiles through custom hinge components based on two-piece shaft collars seated in milled grooves. The panels are bonded with epoxy adhesive. The modular structure allows easy assembly, disassembly, and compact packaging. Waste marble pieces could be combined for sustainable marble panels.
Design Challenge: The biggest challenge in this project was developing a reliable rotating system for marble panels without the possibility of building a physical prototype. At the same time, the marble needed to be thin enough to allow light transmission while remaining durable enough to avoid damage during production and use. Balancing these structural and material constraints required extensive independent research, persistence, and iterative design decisions.
Research: This research examined the technical feasibility of a kinetic modular lighting system with rotating marble panels. It explored the material limits of marble, structural stability, and a balanced mechanism allowing panels to rotate freely yet stay in place. The study included research based on manufacturer specifications, ergonomic considerations, and rotating mechanisms. Proportion and structural balance analysis played a key role in developing a system supporting user interaction.
Inspiration: The delicate, fluid and almost translucent character of marble is often comparable to water. While exploring this relationship, waterfall walls emerged as a source of inspiration. The shimmering movement of water flowing over textured stone surfaces suggested the image of light filtering through marble elements. Humans long to touch nature, and a design they can shape and form a bond with can also touch their soul. This idea evolved into a modern, tactile lighting design that invites users to interact with the object and form a personal connection with light. With this aim, the expressive limits of marble were explored.
Project Duration: The project started in November 2023 in Verona and finished in July 2024 in Istanbul.
Operation Flow: Each wing manually rotates around its center vertically, allowing users to alter the direction, intensity, and overall composition of light according to their needs and aesthetic preferences. This adaptability transforms the fixture into a living design, constantly evolving with its user. Countless configurations are possible, making it more than just a lighting object; it becomes an extension of the space where function and emotion meet.
Image Credits: Image #1: Designer Dilara Özbent, Altera Lighting Family Render, 2024.
Image #2: Designer Dilara Özbent, Altera Lighting Family Render, 2024.
Image #3: Designer Dilara Özbent, Altera Lighting Family Render, 2024.
Image #4: Designer Dilara Özbent, Altera Lighting Family Render, 2024.
Image #5: Designer Dilara Özbent, Altera Lighting Family Render, 2024.