LEXINGTON, KY - Known for keeping wood shop work areas comfortable, the parent of Big Ass Fans has won the prestigious international red dot product design award for 2012 for its wood-bladed Haiku fan.

Other models of Big Ass Fans have incorporated wood in their blades, or won awards for design. But the Haiku model, offered in two species (as well as black and white composites) is striking for the integration of wood grain - it's bamboo - into its blade design. The bamboo is available in a caramel or cocoa finish.

Big Ass Fans, made by Delta T Corp. which also does business as the more sedately named  Haiku Fan Company, incorporates extra large blades (hence "big ass") that slowly revolve to move air gently without stirring up dust. For that reason they are popular in the saw-dust-laden confines of large woodshops.

The Haiku mode was among more than 4,500 products submitted for consideration by 30  international experts judged the field. Winners are allowed to announce they have been selected, but their exact placement is kept secret until the red dot gala in July.

Along with winning the title, Haiku will be featured in the annual red dot design yearbook and displayed in the red dot design museum.

Haiku won for the way its airfoils (60-inch bamboo blades) and central motor housing "blend together into a single, seamless form, reflecting the concept of organic essentialism—eliminating the superfluous and perfecting the basics," said Delta T in a statement announcing the win.

Haiku also uses  unique energy technology that has been awarded eight patents worldwide, and a top rating from ENERGY STAR. The typical residential ceiling fan requires 90 to 110 W of electrical input power. The average ENERGY STAR residential fan utilizes 65 W of electrical input power. In contrast, Haiku fans only use 2 to 30 W, exceeding the ENERGY STAR requirements for CFM/W by 450 to 750%. In a typical year, Haiku would use about 50 kWh, for a cost of around $5, says Delta T