At the 2017 World Government Summit in Dubai, the Museum of the Future presents Sun&Shade, a digitally-controlled canopy that couples the cooling of outdoor areas with solar power generation, designed by architectural firm Carlo Ratti Associati.
Sun&Shade in Dubai
Inspired by the Middle Eastern tradition of shadowing in architecture and public space, Carlo Ratti Associati built a tiny solar plant for climate change scenarios.
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- 14 February 2017
- Dubai
The Sun&Shade canopy is based on an array of mirrors that track the sun. Much like a sunflower, each mirror can move on a double axis and reflect the sun’s rays away from the ground – allowing the precise control of the desired level of shading and natural cooling underneath. Reflected rays, in turn, are concentrated on a photovoltaic receiver, located a safe distance away, that generates electric power. The result is a system whose applications can be extraordinary in terms of climate comfort, potentially allowing vast outdoor portions of cities such as Dubai to become inhabitable all year long, while producing clean energy for the community.
The canopy is featured within the exhibition “Reimagining Climate Change”, which highlights the inevitability of major environmental change in our lifetime and the importance of adapting to it proactively. The exhibit, produced by Dubai’s Museum of the Future in partnership with global design firm Tellart, proposes ideas on how to deal with the consequences of climate change, focusing on food, water and urban environments.
Sun&Shade
Design: Carlo Ratti Associati
Venue: “Reimagining Climate Change”, Museum of the Future, Dubai
Year: 2016