The Cloud | Transformational Skylight

The Cloud was a project that entailed the design of a kinetic shading device to be attached onto an existing skylight. The robotic unit was designed to change shape, orientation and light quality by means of an openable and closable mechanism. The formal langauge was based on creating a voluminous attachment composed of domes with openable petals, which would be programmed to open and direct light based on the suns position. The basic framework comprised of alluminum sections and CNC milled wood. The domes were fabricated manually with fibreglass, resin and speckle and assembled onto the wooden framework with custom designed 3D printed hinges and off-the-shelf nuts and bolts. The remainder of the envelope comprised of stretched fabric painted over and hardened with wood glue. Movement in the petals was achieved through a combination of servo motors controlled by raspberry pi boards and hooked up to metal screw rods to be screwed open and closed.