MVRDV and Delta Light present the High Profile series, a range of luminaires inspired by residual product: leftover aluminium profiles. The design looks critically at the manufacturing process, finding not only opportunity, but also beauty in elements that are normally discarded as waste. The visibility of lighting. A visit to Delta Light's factory showed an inspiring display of raw materials, components, cables, drivers, screws, caps, packaging – in fact, everything that goes into a luminaire. In particular, the stacks of aluminium profiles in various shades of white, silver, black, and gold proved to be a source of inspiration. 

The amazing details of these profiles are usually hidden inside the wall or ceiling; we decided to make their beauty visible as the main feature of the new design. The name ‘High Profile’ illustrates the process of putting in the spotlight that which is normally found backstage. From offcuts to High Profile MVRDV introduced the idea to develop a new design with Delta Light’s waste material, instead of inventing a completely new product. 

Profile lighting is a key part of architecture, but offcuts are often a residual product. These scrap elements became the starting point of the design. By varying the scale and size of the extensive Delta Light profile range, a series of luminaires could be created from this element. The High Profile series presents a cube-shaped pendant luminaire, a wall fixture in the shape of an arch, and a freestanding model with profiles placed side by side. The industrial look is softened by giving the profiles a colour dip; the series comes in pink, ochre, light green and light blue among others, adding MVRDV’s well-known use of expressive colours to the usually white, black and gold assortment of Delta Light. 

On the long-term: the Profile Remixer To make the design approach functional in the long-term, MVRDV’s technology taskforce MVRDV NEXT developed a script called the "Profile Remixer" which can generate possible compositions with all of the 50 types of profiles, and evaluate them with real-time data. With this tool, the High Profile concept makes an allowance for the ongoing development and adjustment of the design, accommodating the changing availability of leftover profiles and changing demands for size, shape, and composition. 

Re-use what’s already there
In addition to being made from industrial elements, High Profile also questions the re-use of materials and sustainability throughout the whole production process. By re-using what is already there, new aluminium parts don’t need to be manufactured or transported from the production plant – significantly reducing the environmental impact. The luminaires can also be disassembled, meaning that a part of the raw materials can be reused. The design therefore invites consumers to think carefully about the materials that are all around them; to see beauty in the everyday and to see opportunity in what we usually ignore.