One of the most fascinating aspects of glass is how it reacts with light. Our Fresnel design dives into a pivotal moment in the history of optics.

Bringing ships safely onto shore has always been a dangerous endeavor. Before lighthouses, people created signals with fire, coal and oil lamps amplified by mirrors.

French physicist Augustin Fresnel knew that light rays spread out in all directions from their source. He spent 8 years perfecting a system to capture those divergent rays and redirect them into a strong, concentrated horizontal beam. In 1822 he unveiled this invention: a lighthouse lens. This glass lens was made up of concentric rings of prisms that would capture, bend and redirect the light to beam miles into sea.

Fresnel lenses are still used today, less in lighthouses, but mainly used in spotlights, floodlights, car headlights, traffic lights, airport runway lights, any anywhere light needs directed.

The combination of glass and light is a continual fascination here at Viro. How we harness light is equally considered to the glass form itself. We are designing not just an object, but a luminous body that sheds light beyond itself.