The winning design for a new standard New York City streetlight was selected after a two-stage international competition, initiated in 2004. In creating a streetlight that will become a new classic, we asked ourselves, “What is the light source of the future?” With their small size, low wattage, intensity, and extremely long life of over 50,000 hours, LEDs emerged as an outstanding solution.
Rethinking the aesthetic potential of LED technology was a driving force for the streetlight’s elegant form. In contrast to the bulky cobra-heads associated with high-pressure sodium lamps, the streetlight takes on a slim, elongated profile enabled by the tiny size of its light source, which does not require a hefty decorative enclosure. Instead, the thin arc of the luminaire itself provides the necessary surface area for housing and cooling the LEDs.
Client: NYC Department of Design & Construction/ NYC Department of Transportation
Architect (Competition Phase): Thomas Phifer & Partners
Structural Engineer: Werner Sobek
Renderings: dbox
Graphics: OVI
