Penumbra Installation

A finalist in the Flip A Strip Design Competition, this installation incorporated a range of sustainable and lightweight materials to create a canopy-style roof. The competition explored ways to make strip mall shopping plazas “economically viable, aesthetically interesting, and communally meaningful.” Studio Luz used the opportunity to design and construct a flexible yet beautiful roofing system that could be adapted to various outdoor and indoor sites. The framework was made from 100% recycled HDPE plastic milk jugs that were cut into strips, thermo-formed, and then bolted in a self-similar repeating pattern. The design was based on the lamella structure, or an interlocking diamond pattern. This system allowed for the input of various technologies and shade creating devices. Fabric sunshades throughout the canopy were fitted with flexible photovoltaic panels. Although less efficient than rigid panels, their incorporation could generate electrical power for the building, be stored in batteries, or sold back to the electric company to help feed the overall grid. This particular rendition also featured opaque and translucent shading scrims, operable vent panels to direct airflow, electroluminescent plastic tape, and a newly developed electroluminescent fabric which creates a flexible and beautiful light source. At the time, the concept of electroluminescent film printed on fabric was being deployed for military tent structures in Afghanistan and Iraq.