VOLA was originally created for use in the National Bank of Denmark, in Copenhagen, designed by the renowned Arne Jacobsen, who also marked the beginning of the brand’s history. Now, the company launches an architecture and design campaign in Denmark where VOLA products can be found. Voilà – Danish Vola!
Arne Jacobsen died in the spring of 1971, when the first stage of the Nationalbank building had just been completed. During his long career, Arne Jacobsen designed some of the finest buildings and industrial products of the 20th century, leaving a life’s work that ensured him a distinguished place in international architectural history and making him one of the few Danes known by a wide circle of people throughout the modern world.
Danish tap manufacturer Vola
Danish tap manufacturer Vola celebrates its 50th anniversary, and its sleek products, originally designed by no other than Arne Jacobsen, show no sign of getting old. Some of the company’s earliest products are still fully operational today – most notably Jacobsen’s iconic KV1 tap, which combines simple lines with innovative function.
When Jacobsen created the Nationalbank, he applied the ‘Total Design’ approach, which ranged from designing the door handle to the carpets and cutlery. This, was to prove both the importance of unity, as well as the impact on improving people’s lives. For instance, the Bankers Wall Clock were designed especially for this project.
Related: The Danish Architect Who Designed the Sydney Opera House
Jacobsen’s House of the Future
As a very young architect, he introduced himself to the public at a building exhibition in Copenhagen with a project entitled ’The House of the Future’, which featured motorboat access in the basement, a garage at ground level and a helicopter pad on the roof.
The Home of Vola near Horsens in Denmark, is a ‘little universe’ which has grown from 30 to 230 employees, or family members, as they like to call themselves. In the early 1960s, Verner Overgaard, the enterprising owner of Vola approached Arne Jacobsen with the idea of creating a new type of wall-mounted mixer tap in which all its mechanical parts were hidden away behind the wall, exposing only the handles and the spout.
In Denmark, cultural spaces are where design comes to life, and now VOLA invites everyone to participate and be immersed in its cultural campaign, which includes two films made in Copenhagen and Aarhus, featuring interviews with Anne-Louise Sommer, director of the Designmuseum Denmark in Copenhagen, and Jane Sandberg, CEO of ENIGMA Museum of Post, Tele and Communications.
Design and culture intertwine
Arne Jacobsen’s production was prodigious, and there cannot be many areas that he did not turn his hand to. His works range from several waterfront housing complexes, theatres, sports halls for swimming, riding and tennis, schools and other institutions for children, hotels, central banks and town halls, administrative buildings, factories and laboratories, blocks of flats, row houses and single-family houses. All designed with attention to detail and respect for a good solution, and often incorporating innovations that advanced the field of architecture.
The Vola taps are sculptural additions that can transform the most-humble space into the heart of the home. They are designed to help life run smoothly and meet the demands of a busy home – where kettles are filled and refilled all morning, children’s hands washed after a painting session, and sinks crammed with pots after a spot of baking.
‘In Denmark, we’ve always understood how design and culture intertwine. For many years, we have embraced the practice of ‘total design’, in which every element of a scheme is given equal consideration, from architectural form and landscaping, down to the smallest detail such as a door handle or tap. It is an approach that continues to influence design not only in Denmark, but all over the world,’ says Anne-Louise Sommer, director of the Designmuseum Denmark in Copenhagen and adds, ‘We know that by bringing ‘total design’ into the public realm, we benefit as individuals and as a society.’
It’s part of the Danish way of life to value the principals of form and function everywhere, not just in our homes and important institutions, but in all sorts of places where people meet, stop and experience something together,’
Related: Finn Juhl – The Golden Age of Danish Design
Arne Jacobsen’s goal was totality
Arne Jacobsen’s goal was totality. As an architect, he wanted to have total control of a project and nothing was to be left to chance. This led to the design of a series of products of such high quality that although they were developed in conjunction with specific building projects, they had such universal application that they could become part of standard production. Jacobsen’s designs comprise a wide assortment of items such as furniture, textiles, lighting fixtures, door handles, cutlery, stainless steel tableware, glassware, clocks, water taps and accessories. Many of these products have achieved the status of international classics and have certainly helped Jacobsen’s rise to dizzying heights on the international firmament.
Voilà – Danish Vola! written by Tor Kjolberg