Van Gogh-Roosegaarde Cycle Path of Nuenen, near Eindhoven, in Netherlands is the new cycle route inaugurated November 12, 2014 for the “Van Gogh 2015 International Theme Year” dedicated to 125 years after the death of the artist.
The cycle path, inspired by the famous painting of 1889 “Starry Night”, covers a stretch an one kilometers long and connects the house where Van Gogh was born in Zundert to Nuenen, where he spent part of his life. This route is part of a larger project: 335 km of cycle path distributed in the region of Barbante, where the most common means of transport is really the bike because of the great plains.
Van Gogh Cycle Path, designed by Studio Roosegaarde and realized by the company Heijmans, recreates the magical atmosphere of the painting of Van Gogh through the small stones with microscopic luminescent LED that capture daylight to release it during the night. Moreover in some places there are additional LEDs that provide path lighting even on cloudy days.
The project uses innovative technology based on the concept of Smart Highway according to which Studio Roosegaarde and the company Heijmans work for “highways of the future.”
The intense collaboration between the company and the designers, has the aim of making safe and sustainable streets through the lighting means, “smart” traffic signals, that are adapted to the situation on the road (the presence of wind, ice, sun, etc.) and harvesting energy.
heijmans.nlWith these proposals were developed innovative designs as “Glow-in-the-dark Linin“, “Dynamic Paint“, “Interactive Light” and “Electric Priority Lane“.
The first installation, made on the road N329 OSS, in the Netherlands, “Glowing Lines” (Glow-in-the-dark Linin) consists to define the edges of the roads with luminescent strips that capture the daylight and emit it for as long as ten hours.
Header image credits: studioroosegaarde.net