Strijp-S, a 66 acre former industrial site that once belonged to Philips, is in the process of being transformed into an inspiring creative urban neighborhood in the city center of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Once home to Philips factories and research labs, Strijp-S is destined to become a model in public lighting innovation.
The first lighting project being realized in Strijp-S, are the traffic lanes which provide the electronic guidance for the 'Phileas', electric-hybrid advanced public transport. The path of the Phileas will be illuminated by specially developed LED streetlights from Philips. The Phileas is a relatively quiet vehicle - great from the perspective of noise pollution but perhaps not so good with regards to the safety of pedestrians who may not hear it approaching. To solve this Philips Design has designed an innovative pedestrian crossing using LED-lamps built into the road surface. The lamps animate to indicate when a vehicle is approaching and which direction it will be coming from. They also indicate which type of vehicle is approaching in the public service lane by distinguishing between the Phileas, emergency vehicles and taxis.. If there are no pedestrians in the area the animation will dim down to an energy saving level, providing just sufficient indication to other road users and people waiting for the public transport.
The solution is part of Philips Design’s award winning design manifesto ‘creating a public lighting experience’, that presents a vision, direction and guiding principles in the development of the new, ‘creative city’, outlining an innovative and sustainable approach to public lighting.
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