Good design endures, and can outlast the passing whims of fashion. One example of this is the Icon street lamp from Louis Poulsen, which has lit up the roads in Rudersdal Municipality, in Denmark, for many years. While the outward design has stood the test of time, the technical components have become outdated. But instead of purchasing new street lamps, Rudersdal Municipality decided to retrofit their more than 4,000 Icon lamps with new LED boards. This has reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions, while allowing the municipality to retain these charming street lamps. Why compromise on good design or green energy solutions when you can have both?
The LP Icon post top is – as the name implies – a real icon. The street lamp is like a mellow lighthouse that creates a calm and pleasant light in the evening and night hours. This atmospheric street lamp can be seen lighting up the darkness, both within Scandinavia and abroad, and the design still looks great after more than 20 years. It is therefore very much in line with Louis Poulsen’s overall design philosophy, which has the aim of creating lighting that lasts for generations.
But an icon is not made in a day, and creating good street lighting is a process involving many ideas and a lot of work:
“Designing a new street lamp can be a thankless task. You have to battle against all the elements of nature, which you don’t have to worry about when you work with indoor lighting. The idea phase behind Icon probably took a year or two. Then you have to develop a prototype to be tested in the real world." says Mads Odgård, the designer behind the Icon lamp.
"It’s one thing to be able to withstand any weather conditions thrown at it, but you also have to balance the design and create a lamp that provides clear lighting without disrupting the street setting.”
“It’s important not to underestimate the value of aesthetic outdoor lighting. It’s a key element of public spaces, and has to not only look great in the evening, but also during the daytime. After all, a street lamp is seen more during the day than in the evening,” notes Kasper Hammer, Director, Architectural & Outdoor at Louis Poulsen.
Retrofitting is a green choice
The project started with Rudersdal Municipality’s desire to reduce its total electricity consumption. Something that would have an impact on both the municipality’s budget and its carbon accounts. Ørsted City Light suggested that the internal light sources could be replaced, preserving the lamp exterior: “By retrofitting over 4,000 lamps, the municipality will see very large savings on their energy bill all year round. This makes good sense from an energy perspective, and if the municipality is happy with how their lamps look, it is the right way to go,” says Christian Terkildsen, Senior Project Manager at Ørsted City Lights.
“There has been a combination of economic, aesthetic and sustainability considerations, that have fortunately gone hand in hand. At the same time, we have been very happy with our street lamps in the municipality, and were therefore pleased to be able to retain them, while updating them with energy-efficient modern light sources,” says Karsten K. Kristensen, landscape architect and project manager in Rudersdal Municipality.
