Spots in third-world countries without reliable access to a power grid can be bustling by day, yet abandoned and unsafe at night due to inadequate lighting. Design firm igenDESIGN, lead by Alberto Vasquez, has come up with a unique solution: a public light that takes advantage of local natural resources and runs on wind power.
‘Flow’ is a cool-looking dynamic public light made of bamboo, which operates under the principle of a vertical wind turbine. As complex as it may look, it’s actually really easy to construct, so local unskilled workers can make it themselves. The wind blades are created by cutting the bamboo into halves. LED lights are fitted intuit he ends. As the wind turns the blades, it powers a small battery.
“I was inspired by a problem that I experienced in Cartagena – a cost-wise city in Colombia,” says the designer. “The coast-side of the city is busy and safe by day, but in the night it is abandoned and dangerous due to the lack of public lighting, as the grid cannot be transmitted to the shores.”
Since it’s made almost entirely of bamboo, ‘Flow’ will biodegrade over time. The only components left will be the LED lights, battery and other electronic parts, which can be reclaimed and reused.

