Coming to a city near you: the lamp post tree
A FRENCH company has unveiled a lighting concept which combines a street luminaire and a tree-like frame of growing foliage.
The Linné from Valmont is effectively a combination of public illumination and horticulture, designed to bring greenery and biodiversity into urban environments.
Composed of a modular structure on which voluble climbers come to settle, the Linné mast contributes to the reintroduction of living elements into the city where trees cannot take root.
The standard unit comprises a central pole and four articulated arms, the multiple orientations and inclinations of the latter allow significant modularity of shapes and the creation of differentiated shapes of vegetation.
The range – launched at Light + Building in Frankfurt – also includes accessories such as nesting boxes, beehives, street furniture, fogger, loudspeakers and even wi-fi connectivity.
Valmont says the Linné range could replace standard post top lights and turn the street into a green, air-purifying ribbon. They can be located close as possible to the sources of pollution, where a tree cannot be planted.
The creators also point out that the Linné acts as a structural design element in the streetscape, increasing thermal comfort for pedestrians and increasing the favourable perception of cities. It decreases the radiative trap effect of ‘canyon streets’ and refreshes the ambient air and increases its humidity thanks to evapotranspiration.
The company says there are hundreds of climbing plants which would be suitable for the Linné but it recommends honeysuckle for its scent, kiwi plants for their bright display and chocolate vine flowers for winter colour.
As twining creepers grow quickly, it’s a fast way to bring greenery into a city.
From the third year of growth, the metallic structure takes on the silhouette of an 8-metre high adult tree.
Additionally, the LEDs in the light itself can be tuned to boost vegetative growth and minimise any impact on wildlife.
