NATURE AQUARIUM GOODS HISTORY 1984-2016
created by TAKASHI AMANO
Lily Pipe is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes with its sophisticated shape that naturally fits into an aquascape without undermining the concept of Nature Aquarium. The glass design of Lily Pipe reminiscent of a lily flower makes this NA Goods exceptionally beautiful. ADA’s inflow and outflow series, including Lily Pipe, is an ultimate product that proposes the basic philosophy of the NA Goods series.
“The place where water flows out needs to have aesthetics that brings out the best of attractive water flow.”
Under Takashi Amano’s inspiration, Lily Pipe was developed in pursuit of ultimately meticulous functionality and aesthetic appeal. Its simple and unique shape has been attracting fans over 20 years, from its birth up to now. Then, what kind of idea brought Lily Pipe to life? In answering this question, Amano said, “I simply thought I needed it, rather than I had an idea.” This word of Amano truly reflects his personality. He felt, “When a low quality equipment is used, the aquarium is always not visually pleasant no matter how attractive the layout itself is. To overcome this issue, I wanted beautiful glassware having an attractive shape”. Amano developed this thought into an inspiration towards product development.
“Lily Pipe is already more than 20 years old but no other design took over the original design.” once said by Amano. This tells how perfect Lily Pipe was from the very beginning.
Amano also told us, “Water flow is naturally very attractive. So, the place where water flows out needs to have aesthetics that brings out the best of attractive water flow. The key is how to adopt soft and delicate touch of water flow to make the contour of the pipe. Even when the pipe takes in water, the water flow must be smooth. To pursue further natural outline, we had a tough time trying a lot of things when we developed Lily Pipe.”
“Observation we made in our childhood sometimes gives us an inspiration for the development of an epoch-making product.”
Lily Pipe is an epoch-making product which has a shape totally different from the shower pipes used on conventional types of external filters. This has materialized the water flow suitable for aquatic plant growth. In fact, the principle of Lily Pipe is inspired by Amano’s childhood memory. Amano said, “I used to hang around in a place on the way back from school. In that place, there was a big pipe and at the exit of the pipe, water swirled in a whirlpool. When I put a leaf or something, it came out from the other side and I was very amused to see that. When I was trying to adjust a prototype of Lily Pipe, I coincidentally found the same kind of principle of water swirling into a whirlpool. Then, I changed the neck angle of outflow pipe to make more natural water swirling. Observation we made in our childhood sometimes gives us an inspiration for the development of an epoch-making product.”
Amano focused on pipe neck angle and studied it with enthusiasm. Finally, he designed the outflow pipe in a trumpet-shape so that the water flowing out of the filter crashes against the wide portion of Lily Pipe and moderately slowed. The neck angle of outflow pipe is also designed for aeration enabled by slightly shifting the outflow position upwards. This design made the efficient aeration possible without the use of an air pump.
“After all, there are no identical pieces because they are made by human hands.”
Lily Pipe having ultimate beauty and functionality is all handcrafted by skilled craftsmen. When you hold more than one Lily Pipe, you will notice that the width of signature contour of this glassware is almost the same, which represents the craftsmen’s outstanding skills nurtured by their long years of experience. Amano commented on this, saying, “After all, there are no identical pieces because they are made by human hands. They are not like plastics made by pouring resin into a mold. Each and every piece of glassware is made by craftsman who blows, bends and shapes glass. So, we cannot find identical glassware anywhere in the world, no matter how hard we search for it. I personally like something having an imperfect shape as it is one of a kind, just like antique Japanese bowls and cups. Yes, I prefer slightly distorted things rather than perfectly even shapes. The thing is whether we can take it as a ‘taste’, and whether people can accept ‘unable to make identical pieces’ and ‘each handcrafted item piece is different”. I am happy if people see the taste in one-of-a-kind handcrafted items with a sense of fun.”
“The Style of Nature Aquarium derives from enthusiasm and sensitivity.”
In addition to Lily Pipe, new styles of inflow and outflow pipes were launched and named after flowers, such as Poppy Glass and Violet Glass. Amano undertook the naming of these pipes with humor and enthusiasm. “As we can see, Lily Pipe is in the shape of a lily flower. It is like a lily starting to bloom rather than the one in full bloom. Poppy Glass has an image of a round poppy flower while Violet Glass has an image of a violet flower petal. Poppy Glass has a structure to slow the water flow and it has a soft-looking appearance. On the other hand, Violet Glass provides relatively strong water flow and also has a sharp shape. I hope the users select a pipe based on the characteristics of each product,” said Amano. When designing inflow and outflow pipes having their own unique features, Amano always placed first priority on users’ fun. He said, “When starting an aquarium, it’s not fun if we use ordinary aquarium supplies only, right? The Style of Nature Aquarium derives from enthusiasm and sensitivity. So, I want to keep on proposing something that helps users feel the fun of aquarium appreciation.”