Almería (Spain)

Population size: 202 675

Architectural Lighting Design “Cerro San Cristobal”

This intervention revitalises the historic natural viewpoint of Cerro de San Cristóbal, crowned by ancient defensive walls and the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue. Located in a province renowned for its astronomical research, the project prioritises the preservation of exceptionally dark and clear skies.

The design features low-glare, custom-made luminaires encased in tinted concrete that blend seamlessly with the architecture. Using very warm 2200K light sources and a smart control system that gradually dims ornamental elements during low-activity periods, the city strikes a respectful balance with surrounding biodiversity and the rest cycles of nearby residents.

The result unites heritage enhancement with environmental sensitivity, transforming a once-forgotten hill into a contemplative and tourist-friendly destination. This “magical” nighttime identity reveals heritage features often overlooked by day, illuminating the space in an entirely new and captivating way.

Antwerp (Belgium)

Population size: 562 002

The Opera

Located at a major cultural crossroads, the historic Opera’s lighting project is grounded in “luminous sobriety”: light that reveals rather than overwhelms.

The design clarifies architectural rhythms—revealing columns, pediments, and sculptures—through gentle contrasts and 169 high-efficiency RGBW LED luminaires with calibrated optics. This precision ensures that light is delivered only where needed, protecting neighbours from glare and ensuring zero upward light spill. On performance nights, subtle RGBW scenes mirror the emotional tone of the interior productions, turning the building into a participant that “breathes” with the city’s cultural pulse.

The intervention reflects a deep cooperation between city designers, network operators, and cultural institutions. By using reversible fixings to safeguard the stone fabric, the project creates a dialogue between technology and heritage, acting as a catalyst for cross-programming festivals and providing operational data for future city energy projects.

Budapest (Hungary)

Population size: 1,8 million

Sustainable harmony of past and future – Rejuvenation of the Chain Bridge

The aim of the project was to establish of a modern capital for Hungary by rejuvenating one of the most well-known iconic symbols of the city; the very first bridge in the city over the Danube River. The bridge has a symbolic value even today: to connect the citizens of Budapest, to be the bridge of the nation.

The reconstruction process was aimed at preserving and renewing a national heritage, bringing back its original shape by renewal of the old historic elements and converting it by the newest top modern technology to an iconic symbol that shows the way to a sustainable future.

City inhabitants supported the decision to only allow the public transports, bicycles, taxi and emergency cars to cross the bridge. A significantly higher number of local people and tourists walk and cycle through the bridge today.

Busan (South Korea)

Population size: 3,3 million

Gwangan Bridge Architectural Lighting Plan

This initiative involved a full upgrade of the iconic bridge’s lighting system to 100% LED, transitioning to a data-driven, carbon-neutral nocturnal environment.

Unlike conventional bridge lighting, the system utilises real-time API data—such as wind speed, fine dust levels, and precipitation—to visualise ecological and environmental changes. This allows citizens to perceive natural transformations through light, turning the bridge into a “living medium”. Strategically, the project harmonies with weekly drone shows and local festivals to reinforce the city’s identity as a global “City of Light”.

The infrastructure is centralised through the Bridge Marine Control Center, supporting over 4,000 dynamic lighting effects that reflect the subtle rhythms of the surrounding coastal environment. To protect migratory birds and marine ecosystems, upward lighting was eliminated, and lights are temporarily switched off during sensitive periods.

Cartagena (Spain)

Population size: 219 777

Architectural Lighting Design “Cerro del Molinete”

Situated on a strategic hill in the historic core, this project uses light to reveal archaeological layers dating from the 3rd century BC to the 20th century.

The lighting design acts as a storyteller, using colour temperatures from 1800K to 3000K to represent historical periods, allowing visitors to grasp the space’s evolution at a glance. To minimise light pollution, the project uses predominantly low-height sources and a control system that reduces upward emissions while preserving habitats for nocturnal species.

Using a Bluetooth control system, tour guides can narrate history by making different civilisations “appear and disappear” through light. This “magical” experience has transformed a previously avoided area into a primary tourist attraction while ensuring that heritage protagonists remain the focus rather than the fixtures.

Dietzenbach (Germany)

Population size: 35 590

Model project for smart public lighting infrastructure

This pioneering model project demonstrates how street lighting can drive digital transformation by replacing 440 outdated lamps with high-efficiency LED units equipped with multi-sensors.

Lighting has become fully demand-responsive; brightness adjusts in real-time to traffic conditions detected by thermal cameras, achieving over 80% energy savings and reducing carbon emissions. The lighting poles act as IoT hubs for municipal services, including waste monitoring, soil moisture tracking for irrigation, and urban heat island detection. A central innovation ensures 24/7 sensor operation even when lights are switched off via pole-integrated battery units.

By providing data for AI-based traffic signal optimisation, the project supports health and wellbeing through reduced congestion and improved air quality. Dietzenbach is realising the full potential of community engagement through a public dashboard that visualises real-time environmental data to build citizen trust in smart infrastructure.

Eindhoven (Netherlands)

Population size: 249 035

Lighting Kerstroosplein: Sketching a new balance between people and urban nature

To resolve the balance between resident safety needs and ecological preservation, the city implemented the innovative “Light Sketching” method in a neighbourhood park.

Residents gathered after dark to “sketch” their desired lighting on tablets, which were instantly translated into real light via custom RGBW luminaires. Crucially, the system simultaneously calculated the ecological impact on fauna like bats and mice, giving nature a “voice” in the creative process. This experiential conversation increased community engagement and acceptance of light levels far lower than standard designs, using nature-sensitive colour palettes free of harmful blue light.

The final result uses less energy than a single household bulb for the entire 4,000 m² area by focusing light on vertical surfaces to improve perceived safety while maintaining a safe harbour for biodiversity.

Flores de Cunha (Brazil)

Population size: 31 970

Lighting a giant

This project revitalises a 55-metre basalt bell tower, a symbolic landmark of Italian immigration to Brazil. The lighting strategy integrates technical rigour with community engagement, using a participatory process to shape 31 thematic scenes for health awareness campaigns and national, regional, municipal, and religious celebrations.

To support sustainability goals, the project utilises high-efficiency LEDs and astronomical scheduling, while precise asymmetrical optics minimise sky-glow. The intervention improves legibility and safety in the surrounding public space, encouraging walkability and social life, and acting as a catalyst for wine-and-food tourism and local commerce.

The redesigned upper cross, visible from across the city, serves as a “cultural canvas” that strengthens the community’s sense of belonging. By formalising cooperation between the municipality and the parish, the project creates lasting synergies between heritage appreciation and collective memory—demonstrating how lighting can generate meaningful cultural and social impact.

Frankfurt (Germany)

Population size: 767 609

DomRömer – Rebuilding Frankfurt’s old centre

The DomRömer Quarter is being developed in the heart of Frankfurt and will bring new life to the city’s historic centre. Historical alleyways, romantic squares, picturesque courtyards and grand patricians’ houses: Until its destruction in the Second World War; the structure of the old city of Frankfurt had grown organically over centuries.

The lighting is new but not too modern, inspired by history, but not old-fashioned. It is cosy, high quality, individual and yet homogeneous in its entirety. It is typical Frankfurt, typical old town, typical DomRömer Quarter.

If everyone pulls together and the residents of a city are committed to achieving their hearts’ desire, then something really special can be created. A prime example of this is the DomRömer Quarter with its successful mixture of old and new built on the historical urban layout.

Granada (Spain)

Population size: 233 532

Architectural Lighting Design of Granada Cathedral

Replacing energy-intensive sodium floodlights, this project introduces a refined architectural lighting scheme for the Cathedral of Granada that adapts to the rhythms of the city.

To ensure precision, a complete 3D scan modelled the cathedral and neighbouring residences, allowing over 20 luminaire configurations to be adjusted to surfaces while minimising intrusive light and upward spill. The intervention achieves over 80% energy savings through state-of-the-art LEDs and a Bluetooth control system that avoids complex wiring on heritage fabric. During daily activation, the main façade is revealed gradually, “like unwrapping a gift,” giving each detail its own moment for contemplation.

This interplay of light and shadow creates a nighttime identity different from daylight, inviting observers to appreciate details that often go unnoticed while promoting rest for nearby residents through gradual dimming and transitions. The project establishes a model of heritage enhancement fully adapted to urban rhythms and environmental responsibility.

Guadalajara (Mexico)

Population size: 1 385 629

Aurora Tapatía

This project forms part of Guadalajara’s broader lighting plan, structured around seven strategic areas, including renewable energy use, pedestrian-friendly lighting, architectural illumination, and enhanced lighting for parks and main avenues. Located in the historic downtown, the intervention contributes to a series of synchronised urban projects that transform the public realm through light.

Rooted in the city’s vision of becoming “The City that Cares for You,” the project replaces outdated technologies with energy-efficient LEDs, supported by intelligent control systems, scheduling, and dimming to optimise energy consumption. Beyond technical performance, the project delivers strong social and economic impact, fostering coexistence between local families and tourists while revitalising the local economy.

Community engagement played a central role, raising awareness of light as a powerful tool for emotional connection, wellbeing, and placemaking. By integrating light art into everyday spaces, the project redefines the urban experience and reinforces Guadalajara’s identity as a vibrant City of Light.

Hebron (Palestine)

Population size: 232 503

Enhancing safety and heritage visibility through lighting of Mamre Street

This intervention revitalises Mamre Street, a site of profound historical and religious significance with a heritage spanning over 4,000 years. Once a prominent Roman market and home to a Byzantine church, the street today serves as a critical urban connector linking residential areas to educational hubs, industrial zones, and the Al-Rameh Mosque.

The project focuses on strengthening community resilience by replacing outdated infrastructure with a modern LED system, specifically designed to improve visibility and security. By illuminating this main urban road, the city provides residents, workers, and students with a secure environment. Beyond security, the project advances Hebron’s sustainability goals, achieving an annual reduction of approximately 11 tons of CO2 emissions. This transformation not only showcases the area’s rich archaeological layers but also fosters economic vitality by supporting local factories and extending social activity into the evening hours.

Helsinki (Finland)

Population size: 650 000

The Summer Park of Töölönlahti Bay

Located near a bay area, this temporary “Summer Park” serves as a test-bed for innovative landscape architecture and lighting. The project connects urban outdoor life with city inhabitants by providing active areas for beach volleyball, dancing, and children’s play that remain usable during dark winter hours, thus supporting health and wellbeing.

The lighting concept is colourful and vibrant, designed to turn a “dull non-place” into a pleasant and joyful heart of the city. This project highlights the power of public-private dialogue, as concepts were developed through tight collaboration between designers, engineers, and city officials to inform the future permanent version of the park.

By combining clever landscape design with insightful lighting, Helsinki has created a unique urban entity that fosters social linking and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public.

Helsinki (Finland)

Population size: 650 000

Helsinki Senate Square

The Senate Square is the most valuable urban space in the Helsinki surrounded by main institutional buildings: the Government Palace, the University main building, the Cathedral and a row old merchant houses. These buildings around the Square create an architecturally unique empire-style entity.

Today, the Senate Square is one of the main tourist attractions of Helsinki. Various art events, ranging from concerts, Christmas markets, ice sculptures to controversial snowboarding activities, have been set up on the Square.

The ambitious goal of the project was to illuminate the surrounding architecture with a lighting level that supports the aesthetically painterly and photographic entity. The cityscape needed to look well balanced at dusk and in dark. In few words: the lighting aimed to be elegantly reserved, gentle, sophisticated, and peaceful.

Lyon (France)

Population size: 520 774

Railway under crossings in the city centre – Improve the lighting atmosphere and user experience

Lyon is transforming functional underpasses near its railway stations into safe, welcoming urban experiences. Two of these renovations are submitted for these awards, yet both form part of a broader city strategy to reimagine underpasses as active public spaces.

Inspired by Lyon’s textile heritage, the first project employs “bayadère” fabric patterns to accentuate the structures with shimmering colour. The second highlights a dedicated pedestrian and cycling route, using dynamic scenography that alternates between vibrant light and calming textures to promote movement and support citizens’ health and wellbeing.

The city has reduced energy consumption by up to a thousandfold during the day compared to previous installations. Resident-led night walks informed the final designs, transforming formerly “anxiety-inducing” non-places into welcoming social connectors.

Madiun (Indonesia)

Population size: 760 950

Madiun streets with a smart lighting solution

To address chronic electricity shortages, Madiun launched a transformative smart street lighting initiative using a first-of-its-kind Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in Indonesia.

The project replaced outdated fluorescent lamps with 7,459 high-efficiency smart LEDs that autonomously adjust brightness based on real-time traffic volume. This adaptive approach achieved a remarkable 57% reduction in electricity expenses. Beyond efficiency, the project evolved into a community-driven movement where residents and local businesses actively shaped the design, turning streetlights into a symbol of civic pride.

Improved nighttime visibility has doubled business hours for local vendors and significantly boosted the regional economy. This success reflects strong public-private dialogue, as the PPP model aligned officials, private partners, and citizens around a shared long-term vision for sustainable urban development.

Nantes (France)

Population size: 325 000

South forecourt of Nantes railway station

The project for Nantes station forecourt weaves a series of autonomous spaces into a “nocturnal mosaic” that guides, reassures, and attracts travellers. It carefully manages the transition from the brightly lit station interior to a softer outdoor atmosphere through a hierarchy of warm colour temperatures and adaptive dimming.

A chromatic composition of green, red, and blue light creates visual focal points, while “living room lamps” integrated into seating tables—activated by presence detection—encourage social interaction and support health and wellbeing. All fixtures are precisely aimed downward, with optics designed to eliminate spill light and backlight.

The project also demonstrates effective urban synergies by integrating public Wi-Fi and surveillance cameras into tall lighting masts, reducing visual clutter. This welcoming design transforms a busy transit hub into a neighbourhood agora and a photogenic destination.

Rheine (Germany)

Population size: 81 000

Rheine – Illumination of the Historic City Core

The market square in Rheine, once a vibrant centre of town, faced the threat of fading into obscurity due to vacancies and lack of appeal to tourists and locals alike.

To address this issue, a comprehensive lighting design was implemented to showcase the square’s architectural beauty while creating a cohesive atmosphere. Warm lighting highlighted the unique features of each facade, while cooler lighting provided general illumination, breathing new life into the space.

The end result of these efforts is a harmonious interplay of light, architecture, and history that revitalizes Rheine’s market square, making it an attractive destination for both locals and tourists. The square has regained its status as a central hub for social life and cultural activities, ensuring its continued significance in the community.

Richmond and Wandsworth Council, London (United Kingdom)

Population size: 327 506 (Local Municipality)

Housing Estate Lighting Strategy and Renewal

Following a borough-wide Night-Time Strategy, this project adopts a place-based approach to rejuvenate a historic 1960s housing estate. The strategy moves away from “one-size-fits-all” solutions, focusing on resident safety and the preservation of long-established landscapes.

The team conducted extensive community engagement, including resident-led night walks where participants used battery-operated lights to identify intimidating areas and co-create purposeful interventions. To support wellbeing, the design introduces warm-white, human-scale luminaires that create a welcoming atmosphere while avoiding the disability glare often caused by traditional floodlights.

This balance allows the estate to feel like a neighbourhood again, providing a sense of having a “front door light” for communal entrances. Furthermore, the project creates synergies by coordinating lighting with wayfinding, artwork, and planting, while using intelligent dimming profiles to maintain dark corridors for local foraging bats.

Tallinn (Estonia)

Population size: 461 090

Tallinn City Hall facade lighting

This project forms part of a broader strategy to enhance Tallinn’s UNESCO World Heritage environment through sustainable illumination. The design respects architectural character while improving nighttime visibility and visual comfort, using discreet, energy-efficient LED elements to highlight key features without visual intrusion.

The scheme reflects a successful public-private dialogue, bringing together city authorities, heritage experts, and private partners to ensure technical innovation aligned with cultural values. By linking heritage preservation with tourism, the project creates synergies that establish the Town Hall as a popular “instagrammable” destination, now visible from several new vantage points.

The refined design eliminates glare from former floodlights and employs a radio-frequency DALI system for coordinated control with surrounding buildings. This unified approach reinforces the Town Hall’s central role in the city’s nocturnal identity and fosters social engagement across the historic Old Town.

The Hague (Netherlands)

Population size: 515 327

Museumkwartier Den Haag

The project Museumkwartier Den Haag forms a crucial component of an overarching vision for the city centre, with a specific emphasis on revitalizing the museum district. Historically, this district lacked the vibrancy expected of a cultural hub, evidenced by low visitor numbers. Responding to this challenge, the Department of Economy spearheaded efforts to bolster the district’s appeal, opting for a unique approach in collaboration with Urban Planning.

The decision was made to harness the power of lighting. For the museum district, the theme of light got introduced, because light can enhance the urban experience.

The resulting nighttime vision for the area integrates insights from various policy documents and agendas, such as the city council agreement ‘Together for the City’ and the ‘Economic Vision Den Haag 2030’. It aligns with the Tourism Strategy 2020-2025 and the lighting masterplan called ‘Vision on Light’.