Photo Credit: Ernie Buts
Some of design’s most satisfying moments occur when two seemingly unrelated objects are married effectively into something that is much more than the sum of its parts. That’s exactly what happened on a small pedestrian street in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, which was dotted with numerous lampposts and small planters that were serving more as clutter than as functional objects. Addressing the issue elegantly, design firm BYTR suggested combining the problematic obstacles into unique, floating streetlights with lush, living lampshades. The design, simply called the GREENSPOTLIGHT, was an instant hit. Who wouldn’t prefer these leafy light fixtures hanging overhead to awkward posts and pots blocking your way on a narrow path?
Each GREENSPOTLIGHT consists of a netted shade and a ring of integrated planters. The lights are hung on unobtrusive cables between the street walls. Albeit a small change, the simple addition of these lamps really helps light up the street during both day and night in a way that adds a splash of green to the otherwise very urban area.
The GREENSPOTLIGHTs are part of a larger project called ‘Greenspots Eindhoven’ in which the Eindhoven municipal council has commissioned BYTR to seek out opportunities to sprout urban green projects all around the city center. Eindhoven is known for being one of the greenest cities in the Netherlands, and would like this proud fact to be more apparent. Currently, the eco-friendliness of the city is being shadowed by the primarily hulking concrete structures that do anything but shout “green”. We give props to Eindhoven for wanting to make their city as green on the outside as it already is on the inside.
+ BYTR
