Released by, Studio Roosegaarde, the URBAN SUN acts as an additional layer of protection next to current government regulations. Although traditional 254nm UV light is harmful, the specific light wavelength of 222nm is considered safe for both people and animals. It can reduce the coronavirus up to 99.9% and this has been validated by multiple scientists. URBAN SUN on world tour was an opportunity to engage in new collaborations.
Naming it the “Urban Sun,” the design firm calls the product “the world’s first artificial sun which sanitizes public spaces of the coronavirus,"
URBAN SUN cleans public spaces of the coronavirus with a safe far-UVC 222nm light to bring human well-being.
After the successful launch in Rotterdam, URBAN SUN went on a world tour to Aarhus Festival in Denmark, Museum of Design Atlanta in the USA, the Netherlands Pavilion at the World Expo 2020 Dubai in the UAE, and other locations.
As a Designing Solutions, Studio Roosegaarde has been researching the power of light for many years and started the self-commissioned URBAN SUN in 2019. The development became more urgent due to the pandemic. URBAN SUN combines design and science and can now be exhibited in any type of public space to create better and safer spaces to meet.
“Suddenly, our world is filled with plastic barriers and ‘keep-a-distance’ stickers, our friends reduced to pixels on a computer screen. Let’s be the architects of our future and create better places to meet and interact.” - Daan Roosegaarde, designer
On the science-based approach, URBAN SUN was created by Studio Roosegaarde’s team, along with external experts and scientists from the Netherlands, the US, Japan, Spain, and Italy. The URBAN SUN’s far-UVC light source is measured and calibrated by the Dutch National Metrology Institute VSL and meets the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) safety standards.
The science behind URBAN SUN is based on multiple peer-reviewed journal articles authored by scientists from Columbia University and Hiroshima University. The research shows that specific ultraviolet light (far-UVC) with a wavelength of 222nm can reduce the presence of viruses, including various strains of coronavirus and influenza, up to 99.9%.
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