3 | Midterm Presentation¶
As an involved designer to environmental issues, I explore a sustainable and circular design. I think, our society need more circular project. We can't to continue to product to product. We need to make sense and to create link between sustaibility, technology and design.
But also ! We need to keep dreaming.
Helios is a smart module. It is a circular surface that can be reusble and adaptable for many different space. But it is more !
Helios hears and talks with the sun. It communicates with the energy and the waves of the sun.
Inspired by our environment, our nature and its waves, I focused on the sun and light witch are kinds of waves.
Through the helios module, I want to play with the light, with its colours, its intensity, its energy and shadows.
Therefore, Helios is a translator of our environment. It is an interpreter, a performer of the sun. Day, it hear the sun, it absorbs its energy, and night it translate this energy. And everytime it reflects shadows.
Through this modular constrction, viewers could be to see their environment from an other dimension, an other point of view. Day and night, they could be see the waves of the sun.
As a circular project , I want to work a green and self sufficiency energy to do the electronic light system of my module. For that I decided to use the energy of the sun and to add a photovoltaic system in my circuit. It allows to my circuit to be self-sustainable and it make sense with my creative intentions.
I'm going to work with OPV, an organic photovoltaic non toxic, flexible, transparent and customizable. This material is very interesting and allows many possibilities. It allows to integrate green energy in our life and our space with a good design. For my project, It will be apply on the module surface.
OPV technology is not very approachable for now (time consuming and a bit expensive). So in a first time, my prototype will work with a traditionnal solar panel (to understand the system). In parralel I try to get an OPV sample to experiment it and understand it well for the continuation of my project. And I think the entirety of my project as if I had these solar cells.
About the electronic circuit, I'm gonna work with a parallel circuit with LED strip and I will create a connection system between modules, to connect the energy and electricity between them and to allow the light works.
The transparency, coloring and customisation of this solar cells allow many creative possibilities on my final module shape.
About the surface of my module and its aesthetic.
Because the customizable OPV will apply on my surface, I have to think a pattern, colors and material surface according its properties.
I work with plexiglass and glass, to play with the transparency and to allow the sun and the light pass through the surface. Recently, I discovered, the colors are important to the good solar energy absorption. So I have to do more research about that. Also, I think use an iridescent material for more reflection and create an other king of shadows.
For now, I experiment different patterns on plexiglass to test lights and shadows and to see how the patterns reflects. Patterns that I experiment is inspired of wave aesthetics.
And about the shape of my module, it will be a pretty simple shape. Probably, a flat geometric shape.
This flat module add to other module will become a 3D modular construction.
The goal of my module is to allow to create different modular construction for space. For that I have to create an attachment system on my module and research how to create a diversity of constructions with it.
I will create a kind of frame / skeleton around the surface with an attachment system. This frame can be used to hold wires and LED strips or batteries, and it may allow me to make more robust connections.
The next step is to find this attachment system and what material I'm gonna use to this part. And finally, to test different modular constructions.
This modular construction allows many possibilities in space. It the goal of this project : to propose different possibilities thanks to one module. For exemple, for architures, festivals, exhibitions,... or any other place...
But for my final presentation, I would like showcase it in a public space (maybe a park).
And it is for everyone, because I would like to awaken the emotion of any viewers and show them the beauty of the solar energy.
Video presentation¶
Mentor comments¶
OSCAR You don't have the material yet, so it feels a bit theoretical. How do you bring it to reality ?
It is interesting to use existing material, you have to think about how you use it : weave it, knit it, etc. You should use the material you have now to create the esthetic.
For example for the solar curtain (https://www.insideoutside.nl/Solar-CurtainTilburg-The-Netherlands) they create open areas, pockets, etc. For now you don't have the form of it, because you don't have the material. I would advise that you start with the techniques and material you have available (for example if you want it woven, start with an existing woven, etc)
You can explore the possibilities without having everything
HOLLY I would encourage you to think about the actual material properties (flexibility, etc) The images you show are rigid, but the material (OPV) seems that it could also be flexible.
The form hasn't been really explored yet. If flexible, you can do so many things with it ; you can prototype using similar flexible material
You've got color on there : how does it emerge, is it related to the solar energy ? you could for ex control the colours with electricity (thermochromic, etc)
How might people interact with it ? Do you expect people to touch it, look at it ? What's the interaction in the context it is installed
About circularity : are they easily repairable, robust ? Especially if the piece is outdoors Can you recycle by separating the parts of the material? Think about disassembly
Loot at Hella Jongerius woven works also.
CECILIA Quite different project - but also interesting in terms of harvesting sun and bringing it to life in the eve https://marjanvanaubel.com/sunne/
DIANE J'aime bien ta nouvelle présentation axée autour de l'OPV ! C'est sûr que tu n'as pas forcément eu le temps de beaucoup expérimenter autour de la forme avec ça, vu que l'idée est récente, hehe Je pense que tu peux beaucoup te concentrer sur ça dans tes next steps Et je t'ai trouvé à l'aise dans ta présentation, et aussi dans les réponses au questions, alors bravo ! :clap: :clap: