Green light pole for cool city

Mast combines lighting with greenery

"Everyone is concerned with green and sustainability, so are we," says Maikel Schepers account manager at Valmont Nederland BV. "As a specialist in the field of poles and structures for public spaces, we think about how to green cities." 

Sustainability has long been a matter of course for our company. "Among other things, we are strongly committed to reuse. This goes beyond recycling, because many materials cannot be reused one-to-one as raw base material. Instead, we want to prevent masts from going to the melting pot. Instead, our steel pylons are measured, uprooted, re-preserved and repurposed. This avoids the use of new raw materials, such as steel."

According to Maikel, steel pylons themselves can also contribute to a greener city. "It is not possible to simply remove all OV masts and put trees in their place. Many practical 'bumps' make it almost unfeasible and lack of space is an issue. In addition, of course, lighting is needed. However, we have now found a way to combine light poles with greenery. Linné is a new object developed in collaboration with a designer group in France. It consists of a central mast with articulated arms. The design allows climbing plants to grow against it. This creates a tree object. 

"Valmont put a lot of thought into the concept, including selecting the right plants," he said. "In the future, we will probably experience problems with heat spikes. Then you don't want to be in a city with only stone and steel. The shade and cooling that plants provide will then be indispensable. Just to name one of the benefits."

Positive response to sustainable novelty

Linné offers many more possibilities. "Benches can also be added to the base if more space is available. It's an aesthetically pleasing product that our customers can decorate themselves. Many parallel functions can be linked to the mast, such as nesting boxes, beehives, as well as speakers or Wi-Fi." 

The green light tower was first shown at Light + Building trade show in 2022. "People were all positively surprised. Other parties have maintained for years that this product was not possible, but we show that it can be done. The time is now ripe to give it more exposure."

In the Netherlands, the Linné can be seen in Valmont's Show Garden, in Maarheeze, among other places. "In addition, we are looking for first pilots in the Netherlands! We would like to show the versatile and sustainable product to a larger audience. We are convinced that with this we can make a contribution to city with more greenery, less heat, stimulation of for example insects and thus the health of us all."