‘why design now’ cooper hewitt design triennial, new york may 14, 2010 – january 9, 2011

‘solpix’

‘solpix: energy positive media skin’  is a solar powered sun shading media wall system created by simone giostra & partners architects in collaboration with artists jeremy rotsztain and rory nugent. it is the focal point of a large installation for the cooper hewitt design triennial. permasteelisa north america, a company specializing in building cladding systems, provided manufacturing and installation services for the media skin.

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix

this site-specific wall system is located in the conservatory of the museum as the centerpiece of ‘why design now?, a triennale that explores the work of designers addressing human and environmental problems across many fields. positioned at the convergence of technology, design and the environment, ‘solpix’ is a full-scale working prototype demonstrating the ability of the system to interact with its environs while improving the energy performance of the museum.

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix LED display and photovoltaic panels enveloped in glass structure

featuring a large scale color LED display and photovoltaic panels integrated to a sun-shading system, ‘solpix’ transforms the existing glass structure into an energy-positive envelop, harvesting solar energy and using it to power the screen, while protecting the conservatory from excessive solar radiation.

‘solpix’ will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by new developments or existing buildings, providing a proportion of their energy from on-site renewables, potentially transforming entire cities into energy-positive infrastructures‘ – simone giostra.

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix detail

the project is based on ‘greenpix’, a carbon-neutral LED display for the xicui entertainment complex in beijing, near the site of the 2008 olympics. featuring one of the largest color LED display worldwide and the first photovoltaic system integrated into a glass curtain wall in china, ‘greenpix’ transforms the building envelop into a self-sufficient organic system. new york-based architect simone giostra pushes this technology in his site-specific installation, improving the energy efficiency of the previous system, while increasing the resolution of the digital display and effectively achieving a transparent media wall.  

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix

‘solpix’ will constantly monitor its own performance using embedded, custom-designed software that visually displays the energy balance of the system, using an algorithm to generate motion graphics and transforming the installation into a responsive environment for entertainment and public engagement.

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix photovoltaic panels

‘solpix’ allows daylight into the conservatory while controlling its exposure to direct sunlight, reducing heat gain and transforming excessive solar radiation into energy for the media wall. when applied to building exteriors, the sun-shading elements provide unobstructed outside views from the building interior, while lending a contemporary texture to the building exterior. the horizontal or vertical panels can be mounted at a preferred angle or can be rotated in order to maximize exposure to direct sunlight. additionally, ‘solpix’ is a transparent media wall with digital screen capabilities for dynamic content display. the panels can be used to create media effects on very large building envelopes that are viewable from both inside and outside the building.

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix photovoltaic panels

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix photovoltaic panels

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix rotated solar panel for optimal harvesting of solar energy

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix

simone giostra + partners architects: solpix rendering of photovoltaic panels