Winner of new fixture for Utrecht street lamps announced

02-02-2026

Alderman Susanne Schilderman (Public Space and Circular Economy): First of all, I want to thank all entrants for their beautiful and inspiring designs. The enthusiasm for this design competition was great, from young to old. The youngest entrant was only 11 years old. In the end, there was one winner. With this new fixture, we add a recognizable object to the public space, visible to everyone and clearly showing that you are in Utrecht.

Design agency RMBK is the winner of the design competition with their design ‘De U’. RMBK: “As a design agency specializing in light, this competition was tailor-made for us, but actually winning feels like a dream come true. With ‘De U’ we give Utrecht a new hat and we hope the city will wear it with as much pride as we feel for this design!”

^{The winning design} 

The fixture is the upper part of the street lamp that contains the light. It determines how the light is distributed and how much energy is consumed. The winning design will first be applied to 6,500 street lamps in Vleuten-De Meern where the fixture needs replacement.

Addition to the city

Because the municipality becomes the owner of the new design, it can align with Utrecht’s ambitions in circularity and sustainability in the future. There is also room to adapt the design to new ambitions and developments. Over the next two years, the municipality will further develop the winning design together with a manufacturer. The municipality will ensure proper certification and production. In 2028, the municipality expects to start installing the new fixture in Vleuten-De Meern.

The search for a new design began when the municipality wanted to replace the existing street lamps with a renewed version of the well-known Utrecht fixture (“Utrecht model”). However, it is unclear who holds the intellectual property rights of this design from the 1950s. Therefore, the old fixtures cannot be retendered. That is why the municipality decided to look for a new, sustainable, and recognizable design that fits the identity of Utrecht and can once again become a defining element in the public space. The new fixtures will be placed in the regular residential streets of Utrecht where the current fixtures need replacement.

Submissions from across the city 

In total, the municipality received 77 submissions. Five of the submissions went to the final. In this round, finalists were asked to develop a 3D prototype of their design. The professional jury assessed the prototypes and presentations on creativity, visual impact and integration, sustainability, and technical feasibility. The jury also paid attention to the use of Utrecht elements and the connection with the city. The full results are available at Utrecht street lamps | U-Forward

^{The top 5 with design studio RMBK and alderman Schilderman in the middle}