World's first URBAN SUN cleans public spaces of the coronavirus for better human gatherings. Inspired by the light of the sun, and scientific research that validates a new, specific light can safely clean up to 99.9% of the coronavirus, Studio Roosegaarde launches URBAN SUN.

Daan Roosegaarde and his team of designers, external experts, and scientists challenged themselves to discover how the power of light can be used to combat viruses and therefore enhance our well-being. Research shows that though traditional 254nm UV light is harmful, the new far-UVC light with a wavelength of 222 nanometers can actually sanitise viruses safely.

URBAN SUN, a project in development by Studio Roosegaarde as a symbol of hope, shines a large circle of this far-UVC light into public spaces, sanitising those spaces of the coronavirus. It acts as an additional layer of protection to current government rules. URBAN SUN aims to inspire hope. It combats the negative impact of social isolation by aiming to improve cultural gatherings, sporting events, public squares, and schoolyards.

At Lowlands, 20-22 August 2021. FastCompany World Changing Ideas Finalist 2021.

Jet Bussemaker, President of the Council of the Public Health & Society Board, the Netherlands’ independent parliamentary advising body, praised the project: "It is inspiring. People are tired of COVID19. What we need is courage to find new solutions, to get in touch with each other, and create some intimacy. That is what Urban Sun is doing."

Studio Roosegaarde has been researching the power of light for many years. The self-funded URBAN SUN was begun in 2019. The COVID19 pandemic made the project much more urgent. URBAN SUN connects design with science to provide innovative solutions for people to meet in a more humane way.

URBAN SUN is created by Roosegaarde’s team, along with external experts and scientists from the Netherlands, the US, Japan, and Italy. The URBAN SUN’s far-UVC light source is measured and calibrated by the Dutch National Metrology Institute VSL. URBAN SUN 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 the wavelength of 222nm can reduce the presence of viruses, including various strains of coronavirus and influenza, up to 99.9%. Even though traditional 254nm UV light is harmful, this specific light of 222nm is considered safe for both people and animals.

Daan Roosegaarde: “Suddenly our world is filled with plastic barriers and distance stickers, our family reduced to pixels on a computer screen. Let’s be the architects of our new normal and create better places to meet.”

Leading authorities are enthusiastic about the project and are describing it as hopeful, promising and full of courage:

-Listen here what Dutch scientists state about the far-UVC of URBAN SUN at NPO Radio 1.

-Carlo D’Alesio from MEG Science and Professor at Politecnico di Milano: “Virtual simulations indicate a positive impact of the Urban Sun in reduction of airborne coronaviruses in public spaces.“

-Matthew Hardwick PhD, President at ResInnova Laboratories, Washington D.C., who works with his team of virus experts and microbiologists: “Use of 222nm far-UVC in public space, as in Urban Sun, should prove to be both safe and effective.”

-Professor Karl Linden, award winning innovator in UV technologies and founding board member of the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA), Colorado: “Urban Sun is inspiring. It will make enjoying public spaces safer and I look forward to visiting locations where this far-UVC sun is shining.”