This is the first in a series of competitions that we are holding which will help start to build the architectural grammar for what this city could look and feel like.
We are inviting anyone — not just professionals — to propose a design for a lamp post. Your design should be beautiful and functional, enriching of place, sensitive to ecology, and also capable of hosting useful technological functions. It should also be an object that residents can be proud of and yet gently enhancing of the wider environment.
You may submit sketches, renders or models, along with a short explanation of your idea. The winning design will be selected by an invited panel and will help define the visual identity of the city.
We are developing plans for a new city to the east of Cambridge. It is not a technology campus or a suburban extension, but a deliberate attempt to build a place that treats human beings with dignity and beauty. As the first public step in the city's creation, we are launching an open competition to design its lamp posts.
The competition is not a search for a sci-fi object or a "smart-city" gadget. It is an invitation to imagine a streetlight for a human-centric future, in which people are the protagonists of urban life. Entrants are asked to design a lamp post that gives light without erasing the night sky, that looks good even when unlit, and that could sensibly carry other civic functions — such as generating energy, supporting planting, or housing technology that serves people rather than dominating them.
The competition is open to everyone, not only professionals. We are looking for clarity of idea, strength of symbolism and respect for the human scale, not engineering drawings. The winning design will be exhibited and will form part of the emerging visual identity of the new city.
Shortlisted and winning designers will retain authorship of their work, while granting the city the right to use the design in the future with full credit.
This competition marks the first sentence in the visual language of a city that intends to be civilised, optimistic and worth belonging to. If you can picture a human-first future, we want to see it.
Anyone may enter. You do not need to be a professional or have any formal training.
Send between one and five images of your lamp post design. These may be sketches, renders, models or any other visuals. Submit one short written explanation of up to 250 words describing the thinking behind your design.
A lamp post design that represents a humane and optimistic future city. The design should feel welcoming at human scale, not futuristic or machine-dominated. It should be proud of its decoration and detailing, for which you can take inspiration from the past or (ideally) invent a new decorative style. Light quality and night-sky protection are important. Entrants are expected to consider what else a lamp post could do beyond lighting, such as supporting planting, generating energy or hosting useful technology in a way that serves people.
Applications that go beyond the purely aesthetic and show credible feasibility will receive bonus consideration. We encourage you to reference UK standards such as BS 5489-1:2020 (Design of road lighting), BS EN 13201 (Lighting of roads and public amenity areas), and BS EN 40 (Lighting column design) or guidance such as PD 6547. Designs that demonstrate appropriate scale for context, limit light pollution, integrate technology in a human-centred way, consider maintenance and material durability, and are ready for adoption will be rewarded. While technical engineering drawings are not required, entrants who show awareness of these factors will stand out.
All entries will be reviewed by a panel of invited judges. The judges will select a shortlist and a winner.
Once the judges have selected a shortlist and their top 3, there will be two separate public votes:
If your entry is shortlisted or selected, you keep authorship of your design. By entering, you grant the city the right to build and use the design in the future, with credit given to you as the creator.
Your entry must be your own work. It may not copy or reproduce other people's designs. We welcome the use of AI, but remind entrants that unless explicit effort is applied, the outputs often become generic and non-original.
Entries will not be published until after judging is complete.
There is no fee to enter.
The competition will open on 20th November. Deadline for submissions is 3 weeks.
Questions about the brief or submission process may be sent via either sending a direct message to @ThomasHoggUK or emailing info@acdc.city.
The Hearth Light
The Hearth Light is a lamp post for a city that values warmth over glare. It is inspired by the hearth — the traditional centre of the home — and reinterprets that idea for the public realm. The design uses a soft amber-white light directed downwards through a layered, patterned bronze diffuser. The column tapers gently at the base, inviting touch, and widens at the top to form a shallow canopy that glows like firelight rather than a spotlight.
Every element is scaled for human experience: the light source sits five and a half metres above ground, low enough to feel present but high enough for comfort. The form is symmetrical, the materials tactile, and the lighting gentle on the eyes.
The Hearth Light integrates a vertical solar strip and a micro wind vane that together charge a hidden battery pack, allowing it to operate off-grid or supplement grid power. Small planters at the base host climbing plants that soften the column and attract pollinators. The head unit includes a subtle sensor array that adjusts brightness to the presence of pedestrians, reducing light pollution and energy use.
The design follows the principles of BS 5489-1:2020 and BS EN 40, with a six-metre mounting height suitable for residential streets. The components are modular for maintenance, and materials are corrosion-resistant bronze alloy and tempered glass. It is a lamp post that restores beauty to function and light to human scale.
The design meets BS EN 13201 cut-off requirements for glare and maintains colour temperature under 3000 K. It can mount to standard UK 76 mm root columns or bespoke cast bases. Components are designed for modular replacement. Estimated cost per unit at prototype stage: £2,200.
The competition is now open for submissions. Submit your lamp post design using the form below.
Deadline: 11th December 2025
This competition is part of a larger vision: building Britain's first city in 50 years with beauty, humanity, and ambition.