Senior IP
It’s crazy how fast a year can pass when you’re not paying attention…and my mood becomes more and more bittersweet as commencement gets closer.
For the past year one of the things I’ve been working on is my senior IP project. I knew from the beginning I wanted to work with lights, along with the theme of being environmentally healthy and finding new ways of “going green” in our homes. I am pursuing a career in Interior Design, and these ways of moving forward in our interiors are what fascinate me the most. After many failed ideas and experiments later, my teachers and I finally agreed on a concept that was worthy of pursuing.
My IP project is a prototype of my proposal. Through the use of solar panels, my design turns traditional window treatment into a source for electricity. It shades the sun during the day, and become a light source at night. In the daytime, the valance used to support the drapes will also absorb solar energy into a battery. This stored energy is then used at night to power small, embedded lights reflecting off the silky fabric to add a beautiful, natural ambiance in a person’s living room. I am aware that solar paneled blinds have been proposed before by Vincent Gerkens; in his design, window blinds are made of flexible solar panels on one side and electroluminescent foil on the other. However, it keeps the panel as a rather alien element, using harsh materials to create a set of blinds that would not fit comfortably into someone’s living space. The goal for my IP project was to make this idea my own, to make this functional object appealing for people’s homes.
My design uses natural materials like silk, linen, wood, and bamboo. Silk and linen are used to create two layers of tab top drapes. The tabs are looped onto a bamboo pole, which serves as the rod that holds them up. The rod is then placed onto the hooks of a supporting valance made of wood. The silk fabric in front has a floral pattern embroidered onto it. Wires of LED lights are then woven onto the back linen fabric, creating a light pattern that shines through the front layer of silk. The loose interweaving of lights is sewn into place to correspond with the embroidered floral pattern, creating a unique pattern of shadow circles that accentuate the design. Pockets are sewn onto the linen back panel to hold the batteries in place, as well as to hide them from view. The valance panel on top represents where the solar panels will be in relation to the drapery and window. The solar panels face outward, while the side of the valance that faces inward is painted to blend in with the wall behind it. The bamboo plays a significant role in attaching the valance and drapery parts together; the hollowness of the pole provides a space to hide the wires that connect the panel to the lights in the drapery.
sewing the drapery
attaching lights onto the linen back panel
Today, consumers mostly use large solar panels installed in places like rooftops and parking lots, but engineers at solar product companies are working to create something on a smaller scale that would be less expensive and more efficient. The average solar panel currently only has a conversion rate of 19.3%. A standard 12” x 18” solar panel can power a 12V solar battery charger. The voltage required to power my set of 80 LED lights is 14.4V. The 80” x 3.5” valance above these drapes provide plenty of surface area to collect the energy needed to power them.
Putting all these materials together creates an all-natural drapery that can integrate smoothly into a home. The fabric and lights can be embedded in different plain or floral patterns, creating the aspect of these blinds that can be customized for the consumer. For example, another set could be a plain neutral color, dotted simply with lights along the bottom to create a nightlight ambiance for a bedroom. In this particular design the energy stored is only used to power the lights attached to the drapery itself, but ideally it would open up to the possibilities of powering other practical things, such as a lamp in the room or a recharging station for small appliances like cell phones, mp3 players and cameras. The drapes should be used with windows that receive direct sunlight, but there is no specific location of the world I have for the design—the concept should be universal.
view between the silk and linen panel
view from the front
With this proposal, I want my senior project to become a new way people can perceive the use of window treatment. It is an exploration of how we can manipulate something we already have to make it more useful or appealing. Hopefully this will help us become more aware of the potential we can find in the objects around us. We can create smarter systems of sustainability within our homes, without compromising aesthetic appeal. In the long run, every little step we take as conscious consumers and designers will add up to more energy and resources saved, and more harmful pollution avoided. With my set of window drapery-lights, we can not only do that, but also add a natural, beautiful touch into our homes.
