350 Street Lights Crafted from Salvaged Materials Illuminate Athletes’ Village

FDT Bureau

In anticipation of the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, design firms Concepto and Studio 5.5 have embarked on an innovative project to install 350 street lights in the athletes’ village. These lights are crafted from salvaged scaffolding poles and lampposts, as part of a broader initiative led by the Olympic Games delivery authority Solideo to reduce carbon emissions by nearly half compared to traditional methods. Know more about it on FURNITURE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (FDT). Working in collaboration with landscape architecture firm Agence TER, Studio 5.5 developed a low-carbon materials charter for public areas, which includes lighting and street furniture. The goal was to implement sustainable design practices, incorporating decommissioned lampposts and building site components into the street lighting design. Concepto, a lighting design firm, was responsible for creating a plan to illuminate the village. This involved strategically placing the 350 street lampposts to ensure effective illumination. Collaborating with Studio 5.5, they devised a design that could be mass-produced using salvaged parts, while also being easy to maintain and cost-effective. According to the studio, the design prioritized mechanical and reversible assemblies to facilitate long-term maintenance. Traditional lamppost designs have been replaced by more architecturally innovative ones, leading to the phasing out of generic lampposts. However, the Olympic Village lampposts vary in shape, size and construction, incorporating reused galvanized steel and laminated wood poles. Each lamppost features a salvaged scaffolding pole as a crosspiece, supporting one or two energy-efficient LED light sources. The angles of the crosspieces are carefully adjusted to direct light onto the road while avoiding obstacles and allowing tall vehicles to pass underneath. In areas requiring additional pedestrian lighting, a second light source is added to the lower end of the crosspiece, reducing the overall number of fixtures needed. These 350 lampposts will reportedly remain in place post-Olympics, forming part of the legacy phase and contributing to the urban fabric of Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen. Image credit: Concepto and Studio 5.5