FANAWAY® was born of a vision to resolve an aesthetic issue that
had not been successfully addressed until now. By applying
meticulous design processes to tackle specific needs, the designers
were able to provide solutions to the visually obtrusive problems of
the common ceiling fan, and at the same time re-define the concept
of pendant low energy lighting. In addition, the design achieves
greater energy efficiency ratios by reducing the running costs and
greenhouse emissions.
In 2004, Joe Villella (the innovator) had a
vision to create a ceiling fan that had blades concealed within the
confines of a light pendant and only transformed into a ceiling fan
when it was switched on.
He then commissioned Neil Waldbaum, Industrial Designer at Deep Orange
Design, to come up with a working prototype. After one year and a tremendous
amount of correspondence, the first working prototype was created. It
consisted of a very unique synchronized retraction mechanism (patent
pending) and a uniquely shaped aerodynamic blade design (patent pending)
capable of stacking over each other in retracted mode and generating
significant airflow when the blades were deployed.
