Solar Curtain

The project brief was to design a surface that could change, caused by environmental stimuli (e.g. change in temperature, light, pressure...). For inspiration we were to look into nature for examples of plants or animals that have the ability to change their structures/surfaces. The inspiration for this project derives from the pufferfish that blows its body up when threatened. 

The finished model consists of a braided net structure that has separate circular modules attached to it. The surface design is thought as a sunscreen, mainly for glass windows. With help from the smart material “shape-memory-alloy“ the modules should hypotheticaly be able to open and close automatically, acting as  a living surface. When the temperature rises to around 30-40 degrees the alloy contracts, opening the modules to shade interiors from the sun. When it cools down, the alloy expands, returning the modules to their closed shape.

Material: Nylon cord, Ripstop-Spinnaker-nylon and acrylic glass.

Project within The Weissensee Academy of Art Berlin, 2014. Mentor: Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Christiane Sauer.