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Los Angeles has decades’ worth of beautiful streetlights along its roads and sidewalks, notably its ornate lanterns and twin globes (look to public art installations Urban Light and Vermonica for a cheat sheet). And then, the city has a whole lot of boring, utilitarian lamps that you’ve probably never even bothered to give a second look. Those plain lights are set to get a makeover, though.
Today the city announced the winner of L.A. Lights the Way, a global competition to select a new standard streetlight design. Meet the chosen design: L.A. studio Project Room’s Superbloom, a bouquet-like bundle of tubes in which each aluminum or steel tube has a dedicated function—be it a roadway light, pedestrian light or cellphone tower, among other things.
But Superbloom goes beyond just the basics: Its modular design allows for an assortment of heights and high-tech add-ons like electric vehicle chargers and smart city sensors, practical comfort enhancements like shade structures and benches, aesthetic adornments like a loop for banners and a plaque for poems, an even a strip of LEDs at the top that could be used for urgent messages or simply to set some nighttime vibes.
“The streetlight’s bouquet speaks to the diversity of the City of Los Angeles—a single entity made up of an ever-growing variety of cultural positions,” Project Room’s design description reads. “At a time of great cultural and civic transformation, the streetlight is an ever-changeable monument to and ever-changing city.”
That transformation will take some time, though. The Bureau of Street Lighting is now tasked with replacing about 180,000 standard streetlights across the city (don’t worry, the historic 1920s and ’30s streetlights aren’t going anywhere). BSL typically installs 1,000 to 2,000 streetlights a year, so, uh, it could be a while.
“Project Room’s design illuminates a future that does more than brighten public spaces,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti in a statement. “It brings smarter design to our neighborhoods, helps us combat climate change and promotes equity across our city.”
Check out some more renderings of Superbloom below.
