{"id":1909,"date":"2015-05-13T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-13T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/spec-perspective-flos\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T11:06:40","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T15:06:40","slug":"spec-perspective-flos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/","title":{"rendered":"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn’t Typical\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jim Toole is a FLOS frosh. In June 2014, he joined the Italian manufacturer as VP of its decade-old architectural lighting arm. Toole was trained as an industrial designer and says he made the leap (from Cooper Lighting) for FLOS\u2019s product line \u2014 \u201cthey\u2019re creating the most interesting designs and working on the most interesting lighting technologies.\u201d He sat down with Architizer to discuss the view from his new perch and to survey the company\u2019s continually evolving brains and brawn.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n
All images courtesy FLOS.<\/i><\/p>\n

Name:<\/b> Jim Toole
Age:<\/b> 50
Title:<\/b> Vice President and General Manger, Architectural Division, FLOS USA
Location:<\/b> New York City<\/p>\n

Architizer: What has your indoctrination in FLOS been like?<\/b><\/p>\n

Jim Toole: Architectural lighting design is hard to appreciate until you see the technology in person. It incorporates quality of light, beam, and scale. Before joining FLOS, for example, I assumed a product had to be quite large to be useful in museums and other spaces with high ceilings \u2014 but it actually fit into the palm of my hand. Both internal and external design is what makes each light perform at top quality.<\/p>\n

Any other surprises?<\/b><\/p>\n

The scale of the business. When I saw the advanced technology and performance that FLOS is incorporating into all of its lighting, I was shocked and impressed. FLOS\u2019s architectural lighting design team really listens to the perspective of the client and offers solutions with the client\u2019s challenges in mind.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

What are important distinctions or commonalities between FLOS\u2019s consumer and architectural divisions?<\/b><\/p>\n

Typically, decorative lighting is looked at as a piece of sculpture \u2014 a beautiful object in a room. Architectural lighting is different, illuminating surfaces and providing light levels harmonious with the architecture of a space. Its strength comes in revealing elements of architecture that you want to accentuate or taking attention away from those elements meant as background. FLOS, however, isn\u2019t typical and its decorative and architectural lighting have more commonalities than differences. When it comes to architectural lighting, I\u2019ve found that FLOS doesn\u2019t stop at harnessing technology and performance. We also consider the sculptural element.<\/p>\n

Which off-the-shelf architectural product sells best with the A&D audience? <\/b><\/p>\n

There are three segments of the company I\u2019m excited about: systems like the popular Moonline and Light Cut; Kap, Decofix, and other recessed solutions; Soft Architecture. People choose systems for their ability to add design to products hidden behind walls. For recessed, it\u2019s the powerful combination of refined finishes and efficient pricing, backed by technology. And the Soft Architecture line is dramatic and revolutionary and enables people to install and get consistent results.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n
Moonline, designed by Frank Sinnaeve and Stephan Gunst.<\/i><\/p>\n

Soft Architecture is a fairly recent addition. How do you introduce it?<\/b><\/p>\n

Soft Architecture is a product of art and science exploring how light will grace particular surfaces. It uses large-scale molds to incorporate lighting fixtures into walls, ceilings, and more. The line also is a great example of controlling what not to illuminate \u2014 the softening penumbra between dark shadow and reflected light reveals the beauty of Soft Architecture. I think we\u2019ll see a tremendous response to the line especially as we refine performance and expand it to include capacities like color changing.<\/p>\n

Is it difficult for FLOS to retrofit LEDs to its existing inventory?<\/b><\/p>\n

We\u2019re embracing LEDs as a wholesale change. So, while we have completed a certain category of retrofits, we\u2019re excited by the diminutive size and high performance of all-new LED-embedded designs. For example, the recessed Find Me lamp, which is able to be easily pulled down from the ceiling and turned to light a whole wall, wouldn\u2019t be possible at a small diameter or 560-lumen output without LEDs. We\u2019re now working on an even higher-lumen version with the same retractable monopoint head.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n
Find Me, designed by Jorge Herrera.<\/i><\/p>\n

Where do you see LED and OLED development going next? <\/b><\/p>\n

LEDs have improved radically, and lumens-per-watt continue to grow and life cycle continues to lengthen. For the future, I see these qualities becoming more consistent. The goal is for top-quality LEDs to be readily available and attainable in the most economic way.<\/p>\n

OLED is yet to be practical. FLOS is a leader in experimenting with this technology, but the cost of manufacturing and consistency of fabrication isn\u2019t yet level with the rest of the FLOS line to warrant mass production.<\/p>\n

What is your biggest goal for this new gig?<\/b><\/p>\n

My biggest goal is to get people to appreciate the technology behind the FLOS brand, inspiring and enabling them in the process. I\u2019m building a team that will use the vast FLOS catalog of products, as well as custom lighting elements, to make a space look even better than the client can imagine.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n
L: Wall Rupture<\/a>; R: Wall Piercing<\/i><\/p>\n

What are some favorite projects that include FLOS products?<\/b><\/p>\n

It is hard to choose from the long list of existing FLOS projects. But I can say I\u2019m very excited about upcoming projects that incorporate our newest systems, like the Black Line, Running Magnet, and Circle of Light. They all offer tremendous performance, low glare, and elegant installation.<\/p>\n

Explore products from FLOS on Architizer<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jim Toole is a FLOS frosh. In June 2014, he joined the Italian manufacturer as VP of its decade-old architectural lighting arm. Toole was trained as an industrial designer and says he made the leap (from Cooper Lighting) for FLOS\u2019s product line \u2014 \u201cthey\u2019re creating the most interesting designs and working on the most interesting…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"architizer_featured_type":"projects","architizer_featured_image":"1174410","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[23],"architizer_project":[],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-1909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration","category-materials","tag-products"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSpec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn't Typical\u201d - Architizer Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn't Typical\u201d - Architizer Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jim Toole is a FLOS frosh. In June 2014, he joined the Italian manufacturer as VP of its decade-old architectural lighting arm. Toole was trained as an industrial designer and says he made the leap (from Cooper Lighting) for FLOS\u2019s product line \u2014 \u201cthey\u2019re creating the most interesting designs and working on the most interesting…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Architizer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-05-13T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-31T15:06:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Sokol\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Architizer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Architizer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Sokol\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"David Sokol\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/90e559a879a7c25a5aaa80e63bae31b4\"},\"headline\":\"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn’t Typical\u201d\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-05-13T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-31T15:06:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/\"},\"wordCount\":892,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Products\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Inspiration\",\"Materials\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/\",\"name\":\"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn't Typical\u201d - Architizer Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-05-13T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-31T15:06:40+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn’t Typical\u201d\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Journal\",\"description\":\"Inspiration and Tools for Architects\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Architizer\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/favicon.df2618023937.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/favicon.df2618023937.png\",\"width\":36,\"height\":36,\"caption\":\"Architizer\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Architizer\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Architizer\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/architizer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/architizer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/architizer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/Architizer\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/90e559a879a7c25a5aaa80e63bae31b4\",\"name\":\"David Sokol\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d77e7cb7fc1be5d48de91a5660e7d906190c1fa9deaaa9e4d8eb408d7d5dc70?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.architizer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flogo-600x600-1.jpg&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d77e7cb7fc1be5d48de91a5660e7d906190c1fa9deaaa9e4d8eb408d7d5dc70?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.architizer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flogo-600x600-1.jpg&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David Sokol\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/author\/david-sokol\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn't Typical\u201d - Architizer Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn't Typical\u201d - Architizer Journal","og_description":"Jim Toole is a FLOS frosh. In June 2014, he joined the Italian manufacturer as VP of its decade-old architectural lighting arm. Toole was trained as an industrial designer and says he made the leap (from Cooper Lighting) for FLOS\u2019s product line \u2014 \u201cthey\u2019re creating the most interesting designs and working on the most interesting…","og_url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/","og_site_name":"Journal","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Architizer\/","article_published_time":"2015-05-13T13:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-05-31T15:06:40+00:00","author":"David Sokol","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Architizer","twitter_site":"@Architizer","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Sokol","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/"},"author":{"name":"David Sokol","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/90e559a879a7c25a5aaa80e63bae31b4"},"headline":"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn’t Typical\u201d","datePublished":"2015-05-13T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-31T15:06:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/"},"wordCount":892,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Products"],"articleSection":["Inspiration","Materials"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/","url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/","name":"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn't Typical\u201d - Architizer Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-05-13T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-31T15:06:40+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/materials\/spec-perspective-flos\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Spec Perspective: \u201cFLOS, However, Isn’t Typical\u201d"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/","name":"Journal","description":"Inspiration and Tools for Architects","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Architizer","url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/favicon.df2618023937.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/favicon.df2618023937.png","width":36,"height":36,"caption":"Architizer"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Architizer\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Architizer","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/architizer\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/architizer\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/architizer\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/Architizer"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/90e559a879a7c25a5aaa80e63bae31b4","name":"David Sokol","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d77e7cb7fc1be5d48de91a5660e7d906190c1fa9deaaa9e4d8eb408d7d5dc70?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.architizer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flogo-600x600-1.jpg&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d77e7cb7fc1be5d48de91a5660e7d906190c1fa9deaaa9e4d8eb408d7d5dc70?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.architizer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flogo-600x600-1.jpg&r=g","caption":"David Sokol"},"url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/author\/david-sokol\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/72"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1909\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1909"},{"taxonomy":"architizer_project","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/architizer_project?post=1909"},{"taxonomy":"architizer_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/architizer_brand?post=1909"},{"taxonomy":"architizer_firm","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/architizer_firm?post=1909"},{"taxonomy":"architizer_product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/architizer_product?post=1909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}