a luminous architectural morphing canopy
Luminous Cloud explores the full potential of a luminous architectural morphing canopy integrated with a flexible tensegrity skeleton to form an interactive installation. The dimension is 7.8 metre x 2.5 metre, with 5mm thickness. It retrofitted to the dark atmosphere of the selected corridor space.
By integrating soft and phosphorescent materials, a flexible and lightweight responsive luminous skin is developed that responds to lighting and environmental stimuli. This material system is explored through a series of materials including aluminium tetrahedrons, polypropylene strip, silicone rubbers, phosphorescent glow pigments, shape memory alloys (SMAs) and nichrome wires that can change form and illuminate. These responsive capacities are controlled by parametric design processes with physical computing devices that interact with external analogue stimuli.
The Luminous Cloud revitalises an underused, dark, interior corridor through its physically responsive morphing and luminous effects. These effects are achieved through three responsive capacities: sensing, form changing and illumination. Instead of serving as a typical lighting feature, Luminous Cloud performs a different role by offering an alternative animated lighting aesthetic with shadow play and responsive ambient illumination. These luminous effects create a mutable and malleable lighting aesthetic that transforms the atmosphere of the dark corridor to induce a greater degree of social interaction with participants.
The outcome of Luminous Cloud anticipates a potential reciprocal intervention for the exterior built environment. Its potential design implication is serving as a retrofitted and heated ceiling that is responsive and luminous, for an existing bus stop structure. The kinematic and morphing surface of Luminous Cloud provides ambient illumination and serves as a hanging ‘heating-blanket’ to provide a warm shelter to commuters during cold winter nights.
