Studio Roosegaarde's Urban Sun proposal to use ultraviolet lights to make outdoor spaces safer from Covid-19 can only be used at night and people still need to wear masks and observe social distancing, the designer has explained.
The studio stands by the claim stated on its website that Urban Sun "cleans public spaces of coronavirus" but added that it is "not intended to be an ultimate solution".
It admitted that the concept, which proposes using far-UVC radiation to neutralise airborne viruses in outdoor spaces, can only be used after sunset. "We are not claiming that Urban Sun prevents infection for everybody," the studio said.
Studio Roosegaarde launched Urban Sun this week
Following the launch of Urban Sun this week, Dezeen readers posed questions about the concept in our comments section. "If the light is safe why not sell light bulbs we could use everywhere"" wondered Steve Hassler. "Is this built"" asked SK. "Does it come with a smoke machine"" queried Rd. A representative of Studio Roosegaarde has responded to all the comments.
To find out more, the Dezeen team sent a list of technical questions to the Dutch studio about its outdoor lighting proposal. Here are the studio's responses:

Dezeen: Did the launch in Rotterdam feature a working prototype of Urban Sun"
Studio Roosegaarde: Yes, it did! The far-UVC lamp is visible in the video too.
Dezeen: Is the cone of yellow light shown in the...