With a total weight of approx. 1,500 kg (more than 3,300 pounds), the new UNICEF Crystal Snowflake still appears airy and delicate. It has a diameter of seven meters (23 feet) and is about 40 percent larger than last year’s Snowflake. As in 2004, Ingo Maurer’s staff mounted almost 16,000 crystals manufactured by Baccarat onto the frame and installed the lighting fixtures: 16 halogen metal halide spots, 84 halogen spots, 24 stroboscopes and 300 LED blinkers with a total electricity power of 7,520 watts. „In 2004 I was invited by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, to re-design this New York icon of the holiday season – a great pleasure and surprise to us. I am happy to continue my non-profit work for the relief organisation. Already last year I suggested to invite the well-known French manufacturer Baccarat to participate in the work by providing the crystal prisms. The company is very enthusiastic and started to organize the annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball. Apart from the design, the technical realization was one of the biggest challenges for my team and me. Most of my designs, including the One-Offs, are smaller in scale and generally designed for indoor use. Our first Snowflake endured a blizzard with a wind speed of 180 km/h without blackouts or loss of crystals – we are all proud of that, too,” said Ingo Maurer.