shape shifting shade
Nikolaus Kaufmann

The intention of my design was to create a shading unit which is easy to construct, can be adapted to various environmental conditions as well as different uses, is extremely lightweight while still providing a lot of shade and which can be set up by a single person in under 3 minutes. I could achieve those goals taking structural approach. In order to get the most minimalistic and light weight design I had to get rid of every useless part and replace it with a form that can cope with that aspect in another way. I found out that there are only two essential parts, one being the fabric casting the shade, the other some sort of stiff element raising the fabric from the ground. It was important to have an option not to use any string to set up the shelter, as it usually creates an obstacle. Having set such high aims for my design I think I could create a perfect solution.

For this competition I focused primarily on the traditional designing tools like sketching and building models, as my project can be best explained through a real model and sketches. A model can also proof that it will work in real life and not only on the computer.

3d model was done in rhino.

I hope you enjoy my entry and leave some comments.