SOL.ARAVENT

How can the energy transition become something people not only accept, but actively want to shape? This question forms the starting point of the project. It explores how solar technology can move beyond its purely functional role and become an open, designable system. Here, the solar module is not treated as a finished product, but as a material that enters into dialogue with space, textile structures, and the needs of its users. At the center of the project is a modular system that connects photovoltaic elements with textile surfaces. The foundation is a carrier fabric reinforced through Tailored Fiber Placement. By placing fibers precisely along real load paths, TFP creates textile zones that can absorb forces, support modules, or define visual patterns. This technique enables a textile architecture that is both technically robust and aesthetically open. The solar modules themselves are conceived as lightweight, independent elements. Their backsheets can be made from honeycomb panels such as ThermHex, providing stability while keeping material use low. Thermoplastic inserts for the snap fasteners are integrated directly into the modules, not the textile. This creates a clear, detachable connection to the TFP‑reinforced fabric. The modules attach at defined points; they are not intended to be rearranged spontaneously in everyday use. The design freedom lies instead in the planning process: in choosing patterns, densities, colors, and spatial effects. A key component of the project is a digital platform where users can upload a photo of their balcony and explore how different patterns, colors, and textile structures would look in their own space. Open patterns allow more sunlight and transparency, creating a light and airy appearance. Denser structures generate more electricity, offer privacy, or create a stronger visual presence. Users can decide which balance of energy production, visibility, and atmosphere suits their needs.

This approach is aimed at people who may not have had much contact with solar technology before. The project shows that energy is not only a technical matter, but also a designable one — something that can be adapted, planned, and integrated into everyday life. Potential customers are not seen as passive consumers, but as co‑designers. They do not simply choose a product; they shape a solution that fits their balcony, their lifestyle, and their sense of space. Throughout the development process, it became clear how profoundly the relationship to a technical object changes when design is considered from the beginning. The ability to define textile carriers, fiber paths, module formats, and visual patterns creates an emotional connection rarely found in conventional solar products. Design becomes a form of participation — a way to build identification, understanding, and agency. Under the guiding theme “Shaping Change”, the project highlights that transformation does not only occur through large political or technological decisions, but also through the way we make energy visible. When solar technology is not perceived as an external technical device but as a designable surface, our relationship to energy shifts: it becomes more personal, spatial, and sensorial. The project demonstrates that sustainable technologies must be not only efficient, but also inviting — open to different needs, contexts, and identities. By combining textile structures, technical innovation, and design, the project offers new perspectives on how the energy transition can be anchored in our living environments. It shows that change is not only a matter of engineering, but also of form, touch, and identification. Solar energy becomes something people do not just use, but actively shape as part of a shared, designable future.