The new glazed version of the Gyrofocus fireplace from FOCUS, a design that has survived fashions and trends over the last fifty-plus years, has been awarded after the company reimagined the classic, bringing it bang-up-to-date whilst making it environmentally and eco-efficient…
The iconic Gyrofocus by FOCUS was selected as ‘the most beautiful object in the world’ at the international Pulchra competition (Italy) in 2009 among 100 participants, exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Bordeaux in 1996, at the Centre National d’Art Contemporain in Grenoble in 1997 and at the Guggenheim in New York in 1998. Now validation comes from the prestigious German Design Award as French fireplace manufacturer has been awarded the Gold award in the category Excellent Product Design – Design Classics and Re-editions.
Created by Dominique Imbert, the founder of FOCUS in 1968, it was, and remains, a revolutionary design and a technical innovation. It was the world’s first suspended and pivoting hearth complete with a 360-degree action. The Gyrofocus is the symbol of the brand and this original model has become an internationally recognised design icon.
Image credit: Focus
The product was the first model to be transformed into a high- performance eco-design glazed fireplace, and the winner of multiple awards including Archiproducts Design Awards at the end of 2021. On this occasion, it also won the inaugural Sustainability Award, judged and chosen by a jury made up of leading figures in environmental and eco-design from the world of architecture and design.
Image credit: Focus
The Glazed Gyrofocus celebrates a real technological feat as the original sculptural hearth was not intended to meet energy performance standards set out 50 years ago, which we now expect as standard. Importantly, the new standards have been met without compromising design. While only about fifteen parts made up the original open wood-burning fireplace, more than 150 parts now make up the reimagined design. Two years of research and development and numerous rigorous tests have been undertaken to design and preserve the original design, a fireplace capable of achieving energy and environmental performance that is among the most demanding in the world. The only visible change is the sliding, curved glass pane which protects the central hearth without abandoning the fire’s original attributes: its legendary shape and its 360-degree swivel. The concept has paved the way for other FOCUS models to become glazed, benefitting from the same patented technology.
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Main image credit: FOCUS
