More homes are including large glass paneled walls and skylights in their design to allow an abundance of natural light. However, all that light can also create a lot of heat and cause homeowners to jack up their air conditioning–and their energy bills.
Dutch designers may have found a way to mitigate that effect with solar powered ‘clouds’. The white balloons slowly inflate as the sun come out to cover the sun and create little spaces of shade below.
Wouter Widdershoven of Studio Toer tells Fast Company:
Intelligent, autonomous interiors or surfaces could indeed contribute to a comfortable living space with less need of air conditioning systems, especially if they, like this one, work off the grid with their own locally collected energy source.
The balloons inflate slowly and quietly, and currently are on display inside a glass-roofed pavilion inside the MUDAM Museum in Luxembourg.
Find out more on Fast Company >>
