the multifunctional sunshade

the multifunctional sunshade

The Design Process of TOVIP

Leonardo Enzio Pozzi

Kees Jan Hendriks
Narges Miryazdi
Subhranshu Panda
Date: 26-01-2018

Report: AR1B015-D1 Bucky Lab Design

The Design Process of TOVIP

Authors: Leonardo Enzio Pozzi 4744462

Kees Jan Hendriks 4655397
Narges Miryazdi 4749561
Subhranshu Panda 4727606

Instructor: Marcel Bilow

Casper den Daas
Table of Contents

1. Introduction 5 5. Structural Analysis 57

2. Individual Designs 7 6. Final Product 61

2.1. 3ple Shaded 9 6.1. Structure 63
2.2. As Primary As a Tree 11 6.2. Flipping System 65
2.3. Multishade 13 6.3. Retracting System 67
2.4. façSHade 15 6.4. Pattern Film 69

3. Design 17 7. Production and Materials 73

3.1. Flipping System 21 7.1. Structural Element 75
3.2. Retracting System 27 7.2. Covering Box 77
3.3. Pattern System 33 7.3. Support Brackets 79

4. Building Weeks 39 7.4. Pattern Film 81

4.1. Prototype 1:10 41 8. Summary 82

4.2. Prototype 1:1 45 9. Reflections 84
4.3. Pattern Prototype 51
4.4. Prototypes Assessment 55
 1. Introduction

__Group picture, from left to right: L. Enzio Pozzi, Shading devices have been used for centuries as a protection
K. J. Hendriks, S. Panda, N. Miryazdi against sun, rain and wind to provide humans with more comfortable
by Marcel Bilow
outdoor spaces. In the Netherlands, where exposure to sun is little,
spending time outdoors when it is sunny is a precious experience
and in this design report a comfortable accommodation of this
experience in the form of a terrace shading device is presented.
Among the four individual concepts that each of us developed
during the first three weeks of the Bucky Lab course, a combination
is made into a final concept, the problem we want to address with
this concept is the efficiency of the system.
This concept is developed by doing research in the form of
prototyping. The results of this prototyping together with a material
study and a structural analysis of the design is used to define the
final system. The main aim is to create a multifunctional and
flexible system that does not need any columns in the garden.
Multifunctional is meant in terms of the possibility of using the
system both in front of your window and as awning for your garden.

5
 individual design

2. Individual Designs

__Photo of the Elevator Pitches Day In the first period of the Bucky Lab course, everyone was asked to
by Marcel Bilow develop and present an authentic design with little specification
on mechanisms and approaches, four ideas were developed and
presented at the elevator pitch before the groups were formed.
Focusing on the Dutch market, the existing awnings and shading
devices were encouraged, therefore studies were taken to figure
out the lacking aspects of the product available on the market and
thus possible gaps to be filled in with the project.
The objective of this terrace shading is to partially cover the garden
of a typical Dutch row house which is on average six meters by
ten meters. The installation should have the flexibility to open
and close fully at times. Besides that it needs to be innovative in
a way that adds something new to this industry. For this reason,
during the first meeting, CRH Shutters & Awnings introduced the
available awnings and terrace shadings to give us enough insight
into the subject.

7
 individual designs

3
Leonardo Enzio Pozzi

ple
student number 4744462

N
IG

S
PROBLEM

DE
CONCEPT 7,5 m2
2x
+
2x
+
4x
= 24,5 m2 X 3 SHADED
AREA

4,5 m
2,5 m

3m
5,5 m

8
 individual design

2.1. 3ple Shaded

Leonardo Enzio Pozzi
__3ple Shaded - Elevator Pitch During a sunny summer day when the people are at home just with the family they want to
by Leonardo Enzio Pozzi enjoy the outdoor. Therefore, they need some shaded area protect from the sun radiation
__Sketches of the enlarging system but they also want to enjoy the garden and the sun maybe laying on a beach chair.
by Leonardo Enzio Pozzi
The problem comes out when they want to organise a party in the garden inviting people
for a barbecue and there is the need of more shaded space. The best choice available on
the market is to buy a new sunshade and pace it next to the one you already have, this
leads to a double structure and to the need of extra storage for a sunshade that you need
just a few days during the year.
3ple Shaded is a particular shading device that can enlarge the shaded area in two
directions. It consist of two overlapping layers of rolled fabric that can slide, on two rails,
in the perpendicular direction of the deployment of the cloth. This movement is generated
by pivoting the four telescopic poles that compose the structure. By tilting and extending
the poles the shaded area enlarge from 7,5 m2, that is the space for 3 to 5 people, to
24,5 m2 that can provide enough shade for 15 people. In conclusion, the flexibility of this
system allows the users to choose how much shaded area is needed in their garden.

9
 individual designs

10
 individual design

2.2. As Primary As a Tree

Narges Miryazdi
__As Primary As a Tree - Elevator Pitch Trees may be one of the most primary known type of shading devices that we know. As
by Narges Miryazdi humans have evolved in nature through years, natural settings like the scenery created
__Sketches and images reference about the pattern by shadows casting on the ground by trees are often found as relaxing and inspiring by
by Narges Miryazdi
us. The concept of the patterns integrated in this design not only is itself inspired by trees
but also intends to inspire the users by all the enriching experience that sitting under the
shades of tree.
The initial ideas and sketches were developed before the elevator pitch and as the tree
concept was narrowed down to designing the fabric of the shading device, various ideas
came up, such as using smart materials to accommodate movements.
As these materials are expensive and their extend of practicality was unknown to the
designer, a mechanical solution was offered to avoid the potential risks. For this reason,
two layers of pattern are designed in such a way that, as they move vertically on top of
each other, they create the dynamic.
Advantages include providing the flexibility to adapt the degree of light into the space and
creating a tree-like atmosphere which offers a unique experience to the users. Also, it
can be integrated with all kinds of structures and designs.
Limitations include development of the pattern for integration into a shading mechanism
and limited protection against rain and wind. 11
 individual designs

MULTISHADE
MULTISHADE
Kees Jan Hendriks
4655397
90%
PROBLEM

FLEXIBILITY USAGE FLEXIBILITY DIMENSIONS FLEXIBILITY ENVIRONMENT

=
CONCEPT

+
FLEXIBILITY
DESIGN

FLEXIBEL SYSTEM FLEXIBEL ROOFING

12
 individual design

2.3. Multishade
Kees Jan Hendriks
__Multishade - Elevator Pitch The average time spend outside in the Netherlands is around 10%, this is the reason why
by Kees Jan Hendriks a conventional awning is closed most of the time and has no function. Also the fabric is
__Sketches of the manual flipping system and the just a static piece of cloth, the wind compression can not be released and the light falling
fabric system by Kees Jan Hendriks
through can not be adjusted. In short, there is no flexibility in usage of this conventional
system. A multifunctional device is designed to solve these problems and to create a
system that can be used all year long.
The telescopic arms can be flipped by using a gas cylinder. Opening the fabric in horizontal
and vertical positions is possible by introducing a rail system inside the telescope arm. The
fabric is designed in such a way that it can release the wind compression and adjust the
light coming in. This is done by folding or unfolding the fabric that is perforated on one side.
The main disadvantage of this design is the complexity of the system. Different elements
are needed for retracting the fabric, unfolding the telescopic arms and flipping the system.
Hydraulics are implemented into this system, a lot of maintenance of this product is
needed to keep the hydraulics in good condition. Hydraulics are not feasible for a product
like this due to the constant pressure on the system.
The main advantages of this awning are the multi-functionality and the flexibility and
therefore the possibility to use it all year long. It will be more frequently used than a
conventional awning.
13
 individual designs

14
 individual design

2.4. façSHade
Subhranshu Panda
__façSHade - Elevator Pitch The proposal idea by me of a concept for sun shading had two main goals to be
by Subhranshu Panda incorporated. Firstly, the shading device must not have any front end columns so that
__Sketches of the primary and secondary proposal no vision is obstructed and secondly that it must be flexible to be used as a shading
by Subhranshu Panda
device as well as a screen for the façade. Typical sunshades are deployed on façades or
independently to serve only a single dimension of shading. Designing a system that can
be flexible enough to carry its basic job of sun shading and also acting as a screen for
the façade would prove its worthiness as an architectural element as well as justify the
investment in its frequency of use.
The primary design proposal comprised of blinds that are used in current market trends
viz., Venetian blinds, that is enclosed within a frame with overlapping blinds outwards
that can be used to screen the façade and a shading device when flipped up. This design
concept was wind and rain resistant, as the tilting of the blinds could be controlled. This
has a proposal of being used manually as well as motorized.
The secondary version of the same design was proposed to be a free standing sun
shading device with a sand filled semi-circular base that can tumble back in case of heavy
winds. The centre base could be used to sit on or used as a coffee table. This concept of
portraying a sun shading device sort of isolated the architectural significance of it and
was hence scrapped.
15
16
 design

3. Design

__Group picture The chosen design is a combination of the individual designs, with
by Marcel Bilow 2 of them, the facSHade and Multishade, having almost the same
concept of flipping and rolling. We omitted the telescopic arm from
further development and added the tree-like pattern concept to
proceed to the final design which is a multifunctional, adaptive and
innovative design. In this chapter, the selected design concepts,
their working mechanisms and the challenges we faced when
developing them are presented.
The main approach of this design is firstly to offer a multifunctional
sunshade that is both a covering for the garden as well as a screening
on the windows. Secondly, to provide the users with flexibility of
choosing the degree of light and transparency that is allowed into
the space underneath. Last but not least, in all aspects of design,
the intention of the designers is to offer ease of use to the users.

17
 design

The system is composed of three different mechanism that were __Sketches of the different system made during the
developed separately and then combined into the final design. design process

The flipping system is to accommodate translation of the vertical

elements into horizontal ones, as well as providing the system with
different slopes suitable for different times of a day and different
sun angles.
The rolling system helps with the rotation of the fabric providing
different stages of transparency. The double rolling mechanism
has also the ability to completely retract the fabric, this is a
fundamental requirement when the sunshade is used as screening
on the windows to ease the use of this device and make it even
more flexible.
Since the shading device is frequently placed on the windows and
therefore, the dimensions and location of the openings play a
crucial role, it is advised to conduct studies to figure out optimum
dimensions for the device based on the related region and most
common window types for mass production. The corresponding
width of our design can differ in different locations, or be
segmented in smaller parts and used in required numbers.
The working mechanism of this sun shading device is a combination
of three smaller systems that each contribute in a certain way
in the design to achieve adaptability, user-friendliness and
multi-functionality.

18
design

19
 design

20
 design

3.1. Flipping System

__Different design sketches of the development of the A normal foldable awning can just be used during the summer.
flipping mechanism Therefore, the system is closed most of the time.
The adaptability of this device increases by introducing the flipping
system that, with a linear movement, provides the possibility of
using the sunshade in two different configurations. This system
consists of two main parts, the initial rotating system and the
locking system when the awning is positioned horizontal or
vertical. The difficulty of this mechanism is that in horizontal
direction it needs to act like a cantilever together with a hinged
part to rotate the system back to a vertical position.
The initial design phase for this system started with all kinds of
solutions using a fixed rotation point together with an external
support like a hydraulic cylinder, a gas cylinder or a lockable hinge
to prevent the device from rotating back. The process of designing
the flipping system started with a manual approach, the main
focus of the first design proposals was about using the lockable
hinge system together with a remotely controlled rotating wheel,
in the previous page different variants of the process are shown.

21
 design

A lot of research was done into already existing mechanisms that __Different steps of the flipping system
have the same rotation movement, in order to find the best solution. in the final design
During the design process it became clear that this rotation system
was too difficult to be integrate into the design. Locking the system
together with supporting the system and rotating it around one fixed
point creates a device that contains to many different elements.
Besides that, lots of force is needed to generate the rotation
movement of this kind of system. Therefore, a new mechanism
was created; this last design is less complicated and all the set
requirements were met with just one integrated motorized system.
The awning can be flipped by using one linear movement, a support
bracket is on one side fixed to the beam and on the other side fixed
to the support box. The back of the awning is thereby fixed to a
linear actuator that causes a motion in vertical direction.
The shading device starts to rotate down by a displacement
upwards. The trapezoid rod of the linear actuator together with
the bolt provide a self braking system that automatically lock the
system in all the possible positions from vertical to horizontal.

22
 design

close half open

23
 design

speedvalue [ numberrate ]
6

0 15 30 45 60 75 90
rotation [ degree ]

24
 design

A research prototype of the flipping system is developed to expose

the design constrains of this mechanism. The main questions before
starting this research were: What is the scale of the force needed
to start rotating the system? What is the speed configuration of the
linear movement when the awning rotates constantly? What is the
stability of the system when positioned vertically?
__Graph of the needed force to open the system Using this model to understand the forces and the motion was
__Pictures of the early prototype for the flipping system useful. It gave a good insight into the general working mechanism
of the system. This model showed that more force is needed to
start the motion of the system due to a relatively small distance
between the two axes of the linear movement: the driving force
and the rotation point at the top end of the sloping bracket.
The actual force needed, expressed in a numerical scale, is
visualized into the graph on the left page starting with a relatively
high force and ending with a lower force needed. A small drop in
the graph occurs at 45 degrees due to the help of the self-weight
of the awning. This configuration needs to be implemented to the
motor for the system.
Furthermore, the place of the support bracket together with the
weight of the roller box defines the stability of the structure, the
structure is almost stable in this situation as noticed in the model.
A structural analysis of this element can define the exact length of
this support, this calculation will be elaborated and discussed in
the following phase.

25
 design

26
 design

3.2. Retracting System

__Different design sketches of the development of the As mentioned, the fabric needs to be fully retractable due to the
retracting system positioning in front of the windows and the possible rotation of the
system. The awning moves over the terrace when it is flipped to
the horizontal position, therefore, the front bar needs to retract
when the flipping system is acting. The double rolling mechanism ,
along with the system inside the beam, has the ability to completely
retract the front bar with the film, allowing for different stages of
screening the window.
Initially the design of the retractable system, with the fabric
included, was designed with a telescopic arms to create a smaller
momentum when rotating the system. The length of the arm
between the force and the rotation point is reduced by retracting
the beam to one fourth of the initial length. Different designs of
a telescopic arm with an integrated rail system where designed.
Complexity of the system was the main problem by adding this
function to the design, therefore, this system is omitted to avoid a
too complicated design solution.

27
 design

To retract the fabric different designs where generated, all using __Different design steps of the retracting mechanism
a linear actuator that drives the front bar. In the first proposal in the final design
the fabric is rolled by two separate motors in both the rollers.
The disadvantage of this variant is because of the space needed
for the different motors and the need of synchronization between
them. Another designed variant is based on one motor that drives
the fabric on both rollers through a driving belt; with this system
it is not possible to accommodate the movement of the pattern
and therefore to change the degree of light entering the space
underneath.
The third designed variant is the selected one due to the simplicity
of the this mechanism compared to the others. A linear actuator
will be used for the movement of the retracting system, a trapezoid
rod is positioned through the whole length of the beam. This
element works the same as with the flipping mechanism. Rotating
the rod causes a movement of a box around this rod. The front bar
is fixed to this box and moves along the beam. The film starts to
unroll tensioned by a spring roll. The other roll is motorised and
controls only the degree of transparency by rolling or unrolling the
transparent film with the pattern.

28
 design

close half open

29
 design

30
 design

__Sketch illustrating the exploded view of movement box A prototype about this system was also made in scale 1:1 to fully
__Manual research prototype of the retracting system,
understand the working mechanism. In this small model the
the principle of a linear actuator
working system of a linear actuator is mimicked in a manual way.
The end of the rod can be rotated by hand, the box starts to move
due to the nuts that are fixed inside the movement box as shown in
the sketch. The main question for this prototype was: How smooth
will this system run by using a steel rod together with a plastic rail
system?
The results, from this relatively simple model, already show that
small differences along the length of the rail and between the two
nuts inside the box are critical for the working of this system. The
movement box will get stuck when all the elements are not exactly
aligned. Great precision is needed to let this part work.
This knowledge already defines some criteria for structural
analysis in a later phase. The retracting mechanism does not work
when the deflections of the beam are too high, a relatively stiff
material needs to be used to prevent this from happening.

31
 design

32
 design

3.2. Pattern System

__First alternatives made for the design of the pattern The pattern, inspired by the concept of “Primary as a Tree”, intends
__Inspiration textures of a wall and a carpet
to add degrees of transparency and light into the shading device
taken from: it.pinterest.com/pin/304767099775707683/
in combination with the rolling system, as well as adding tree-like
sense to the shading. As the two layers of fabric slide on top of each
other, the overlapping positive spots, leave some negative spots in
the overall shading which leads to some stages of transparency.
If all the positive spots in both layers are completely overlapping
the most transparent stage is created and in the same manner, if
none of them are overlapping, total closure is achieved.
Moreover, since the intention of the design is to provide the users
with the flexibility to control the amount of light they want under
their shading device, different degrees of transparency for the
light is suggested with the two layers.
The shapes of the designed pattern were inspired by the wall
texture on the previous page and further developed. The designed
pattern in this shading device is only an abstract suggestion for
this concept, and other patterns could be integrated within the
same design.

33
 design

The design team decided that different stages of transparency __Different stages of transparency of the
have to be defined going from the fully closed pattern to one with pattern system in the final design
the highest transparency possible. Since the fully closed pattern
was set as requirement the most transparent stage could be
optimised up to 50% of transparency. This could be achieved by
rolling the fabric around the rolling system sliding the two layers
with positive and negative spots on each other as shown in the
steps on the following page.
As the fabric starts to slide, more transparency rises in the two
overlapping layers and it gets more and more transparent until it
reaches the middle point where the most transparent stage is evident.
Since the shading device is applicable on the windows as a blind,
the pattern would be experienced also by the people inside the
house. Therefore, the adaptability of the pattern in terms of the
extent to which the user wants his window to be covered was an
important objective of the design.

34
 design

0% 25% 50%

35
 design

36
 design

__Different prototypes of the pattern system To see the effectiveness of this design proposal, several models
about the pattern were made. The first model that we made was
the pixelated ones by means of which we intended to examine
the degrees of transparency in the films. Therefore, the pattern
was printed on tracing paper and tested with concentrated light,
but apparently the shadow made was too diffused to depict the
pattern. Thus we decided to test different plastic films and at the
end the most transparent was selected.
Due to the thickness of this plastic rolls, the model of pattern was
developed separately using laser cut to create the stencils for
the pattern and permanent markers were used to draw the black
spots on two overlapping layers of plastic sheet. The fully closed
set was firstly drawn. Then the spots were erased and organized
differently by several trials and errors to find a situation in which
maximum transparency could be reached. This was only possible
with an actual model because it can immediately show the result
of the overlapping layers and how the pattern behaves when the
system is rotating.
After developing the transparency of the pattern using these draft
models we could figured out how to deal with the finalized pattern
for the final design proposal which was also implemented in one
extra prototype built during the building weeks.

37
 building weeks

4. Building Weeks

__Picture of the workshop during the building weeks After weeks of designing the system digitally and testing different
by Marcel Bilow parts the final prototypes could be made. The two weeks of
production, starting from mid-December, were an incredible
opportunity for us to work in a workshop, learn from experts and
build the prototypes of our design. In selecting parts of our design
to be built in a 1:1 scale during these two weeks, we considered
those that have unique aspects to display. We decided upon the
rolling system and the overlapping layers because this is a totally
new system not used in other products yet.
During the building weeks we built three models of our design,
including a 1:10 model that depicts the flipping mechanism, a 1:1
model of the rolling system with the motorised linear actuator as
well as a model showing the functioning of the overlapping layers
of pattern. In this section we will shortly explain these prototypes
discussing the challenges that we had faced while building our
models during the dedicated building weeks.

39
 building weeks

40
 building weeks

4.1. Prototype 1:10

__Sketches for the production of the 1:10 prototype

After the first prototype we made about the entire system we
realised that including all the movements in one single model
was a goal too complicate to achieve. Therefore, the 1:10 model
is meant to show the flipping system while all the other parts are
fixed an the other models show instead the front bar movement
and the different stages of the pattern.
The first model already showed the mechanism but in the final
model we also wanted to include the appearance aspects. All the
elements are in scale and nothing is over dimensioned. This was
a challenge because the elements result in being thin and fragile.
As material for building the prototype, we used only white cardboard
and white plastic elements to confer cohesion to the model.
We decided also to hide the flipping mechanism into the two
lateral boxes. The sunshade needs to rotate freely while moving
up and down but the connection elements and the wooden slider
in the back should not rotate. The system, designed and integrated
into the box, is composed of two plastic cylinders of different
diameters that slide one into the other. The bigger one is fixed and
connected to the back of the house through a wooden element that
passes through a vertical hole made into the house façade. Inside
that, the smaller one is fixed to the sunshade that can slide up and
down while rotating. The brackets also need to rotate and for this
purpose small nails are used to connect them to the two beams
on one side and to the lateral boxes on the other side. The system
was first tested on a scrap piece of wood and then applied to the
house for the final model.

41
 building weeks

__Pictures of the 1:10

prototype
by Marcel Bilow

42
 building weeks

__Pictures of the different steps of the

flipping mechanism in the 1:10 prototype
by Marcel Bilow

43
 building weeks
6 70 105 91 6
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- 3 mm wooden covering
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23
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len ftwo 50

PVC tube, PVC tube,

spring spring
gth od,

Front50
bar Front bar
45

50 mm mm - 3 mm wooden covering
- PVC tube 50 mm Frontbar, roller around tube - PVC tube 50 mm Frontbar, roller around tube
Plywood 6 mm

Plywood 6 mm

- Centre rod, plastic 15 mm73 to allow the movement of - Centre rod, plastic 15 mm to allow the movement of
So
255
245

255
245
255
245

Roll without 3 34 34 3
the fabric the fabric
15º 15º spring 15º Plywood 6 mm Plywood 6 mm Plywood 6 mm

6
6

6
149

149
149

25

25
25
160

18

18
Plywood 3 mm
34

34
3 6 120 6 3 3 6 120 6 3

31

31
Plastic rail, HEA 9x9
18 3
50

50
16

16
Geared motorGuiding
68x25 mm
rod, wood Guiding rod, wood

Perspex 4 mm
180

180
180

6
9

9
3

3
8
3

3
Rod wood, 9 9
3

3
6

6
RAIL
7

7
46

46

⌀22 mm
46

3
11

11
81
29

29
MOTOR plywood,

plywood,
46
Circular

Circular
42

42
120

120
120

108

120

108
133

133
66

11 39 5 15
50

66

15
50
50
38

50
38
108
120
6

25

25
95
1

Rod wood, ⌀22 mm Rod wood, ⌀22 mm

⌀46

⌀46
39

39

16

16
58

11
80

80
Plywood 6 mm PVC tube, 50 mm Threated rod, steel M16 PVC tube, 50 mm
69

69

7
6

6
75

75
5

80
5

80
75

59
46

46
46

16
53

3
3
3

3
3
16

16
45

45
35

35
Guiding rod, wood Guiding rod, wood
3

10
27

27

27
27

28

28
36

36
6 69 6
28

28
10

75
20

20

Plastic rail, HEA 9x9

9
1

1
6

6
6

6
6
5

5
5

2 2
456 135 15 6 6 28 12 60 135 15 6 6 28 12
165 110 165 6 110
75 75 200200 75 377138 18 2
200
40 6 4 1 33 21 6 138 18 2 40 6 6
180 95 381 150 60 150 60
Gearsystem Gearsystem 656 210 210
Gearsystem
- Gear- Gear
36 mm,
36 attached to engine
mm, attached to engine - Gear 36 mm, attached to engine
- Gear- Gear
36 mm,
36 nut
mm,cutout
nut cutout - Gear 36 mm, nut cutout

PD01 - Page 1 Resp.: KJ Hendriks

Project: Flawning Scale: 1:2

Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017

44 PD01 - Page 2
Project: Flawning
Course:
Resp.:

Scale:
BuckyLAB
KJ Hendriks

1:2
Code: AR1B025 PD01 - Page 2
Project: Flawning
Resp.:

Scale:
KJ Hendriks

1:2

01.1
Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017 Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017

Course: BuckyLAB Code: AR1B025 Course: BuckyLAB Code: AR1B025

 building weeks

4.2. Prototype 1:1

__Technical drawings for the production of the 1:1 The one to one prototype mimics the general working mechanism
prototype of the retracting system. A segment from the corner was chosen
to show the roller system together with the motorized movement
inside the beam. The roller box of the design consists of a curved
covering that follows the radius of the roller to create a slim
structure.
In this 1:1 prototype almost all the parts are deliberately cut and
assembled by hand to create one consistent product and learn the
most from them by really getting into each mechanism that is part
of the system. The structural elements and the covering of the
prototype are made by 6 mm plywood, other materials like plastic
tubes and rails are also used.
Bending the plywood was a big challenge due to lack of necessary
equipment commonly used and the relatively high thickness of
the available plywood. Therefore, a plunge saw is used to create
twenty 4 mm parallel cut-out that are equally distant along the
width of the covering sheet, after that the wooden sheets were
soaked into hot water to create a bendable sheet. Then the sheets
were bended along the curved lateral sheet and clamped for one
entire day to let the wood dry in the desired shape.

45
 building weeks

A motor was used to create the movement of the front bar, laser
cut perspex gears were attached to the end of the motor and to the
end of the rot. This gears rotate the rod that moves the box placed
on it. This movement box has two nuts in the inner part. The box
starts to move while rotating the rod, a rail system, made out of two
small plastic H-profiles guides the box along the beam. This part
was, as mentioned before, the most complicated section due to all
the small parts of the system that come together. The movement
get stuck due to very small differences between the heights of the
rod at the beginning and at the end. Several modifications where
necessary to create a smooth system.
A spring roller was needed to create tension on the fabric when it
is rolled out. A standard measurement tape was used to mimic this
feature in the prototype. The side cover is removed to reveal the
actual spring which is mounted into a wooden box and thereafter
the spring was glued to one of the rollers of the system, a PVC
tube on which the cloth is rolled and pre tensioned.
The direction of the cloth on this roller was changed during the
building weeks due to the direction of the spring used from the
measurement tape. The spring needed to stay inside the tape and
it rotates in the opposite direction with respect to our design. This
direction will be changed back in the final product.

46
 building weeks

__Picture of the bent 6 mm plywood

__Picture of the spring of the measurement tape
__Picture of the bearings used for the rot
__Picture of the wiring connection of the motor

47
 building weeks

__Different detail shots of the one to one model

showing all the different elements
by Marcel Bilow

48
 building weeks

__Different steps of the retracting system simulated by the

one to one model
by Marcel Bilow

49
 building weeks

50
 building weeks

4.3. Pattern Prototype

__Close up picture of the pattern prototype The main purpose of making the prototype of the pattern was
by Marcel Bilow to clearly show how the transparency increases when the two
overlapping layers slide on top of each other.
The main problems faced were to define how sliding the negative
and positive layers would create degrees of transparency.
For this purpose, the most transparent stage was set in the middle
of the length of the pattern and the positive placements (indicated
in black) were moved in such a way that all black spots in the
top layer had an overlapping spot in the down layer. This leads to
making the most transparent stage fifty percent transparent.
In the model we made, the selection of the material to represent
the idea was a challenge. The criteria for the pattern is that it had
to be water-proof to some extent and also provide the transparency
that we were looking for. The solution we used was to print the
pattern on transparent film. However, other options like stickers
were considered, the main problem would be the rolling of the
fabric due to varying thickness and the space that it requires when
fully rolled.
We decided to simplify the production to abstractly present the idea.
Therefore, we the pattern was printed on transparent film and a
separate model was built to represent this system.

51
 building weeks

__Pictures of the pattern prototype showing how the

layers overlapping from and angled point of view
by Marcel Bilow

52
 building weeks

__Pictures of the different degrees of transparency

of the pattern shown in the prototype
by Marcel Bilow

53
 building weeks

54
 building weeks

4.4. Prototypes
Assessment
__Pictures of the different steps in each prototype An assessment of the final prototype is made to improve the system
by Marcel Bilow for further development in the production phase, the model gives
an insight into the working of the different systems. The main
findings for the final product are reviewed and implemented in to
the next phase.
The main problems were found on the 1:1 scale prototype. Firstly,
the tension of the fabric when moving the front bar to the end
was too high for the used motor that was not strong enough to
generate the movement on its own. Secondly, there was too much
friction due to the fixation of the guiding bar inside a circular tube
because no bearings were used. In the real product bearings will
be implemented to generate a smooth movement of the fabric
around this bar, therefore a less powerful motor will be needed.
After finishing the prototype we realised that the workable space
for maintenance is really small, the design needs to be optimized
to create a modular product. Now the rollers and guiding bars
are all placed against the back covering plate, this plate cannot
be removed when elements like rollers needs to be taken out.
Therefore these parts need to be separated.

55
 bracket

internal beam

lateral beam

front bar

bracket

structural
beams

connection hinge

105
120
connection rib
120

120
40

40
3

19
60 120 60

internal beam cross lateral beam

secrion cross secrion
IsID ChID Wijz. naam
FD Final design

56
 structural mechanics

5. Structural Analysis

__Diagram of the structural system As part of the Building Technology course Structural Mechanics,
__Cross sections of the structural elements
taught by P. Eigenraam, a Structural Analysis within the design
process was performed in order to optimise the structure of the
sunshade and to understand the structural behaviour of our
design when different load cases are applied.
The structural mechanics report is a document itself that contains
more than 30 pages of detailed explanations about the structural
design process. Because of that, here the information and the
process are presented as a brief summary in order to explain the
relevant steps and the results we derived from that.
The structure of the awning was designed to be an active part of the
system integrating all the mechanism and the different movement
of the sunshade. The lateral beams work firstly as a frame for the
structure and secondly as a support and covering box for the linear
actuator that moves the front bar of the shading device.
After proving that the entire system could work in terms of
mechanisms we started to question the structural system of the
sunshade. The first thing we wanted to know was on which position
the bracket should be connected to the lateral beam to achieve
relatively low values of deflection and reducing the horizontal
force transferred to the wall.

57
 structural mechanics

To answer this question analytical calculations were first __Simplification diagrams of the structure
__Screenshot of the deformed structure
performed and then verified using Finite Element Analysis with
simulated in DIANA
the software DIANA. The structure was modelled in its vertical __Screenshot of the deformed lateral beam
elevation as a system of simple beams. The results about the simulated in DIANA
deflection in the vertical axis of the structure can be seen in the
image on the following page.
Furthermore, looking at the cross section of the designed lateral
beam, it was clear that the week axis was the vertical one. Therefore,
also considerations about the horizontal wind load, acting on the
structural elements, were made in order to understand how the
two lateral beams deflect in the horizontal direction preventing
them from cracking in case of high wind load. After the hand
calculation the lateral beam was modelled in DIANA, as shown in
the picture, to check whether or not the hand calculation matches
with a Finite Element Analysis on a 3D shape.
All the calculations are made considering two conditions, the safety
is based on a wind load of 1 kN/m2 that refers to a wind speed of 148
km/h. Under this condition the system does not brake or suffer of
plastic deformation but it cannot be used because the deformations
are too high to allow the different mechanisms to work.
The other condition is about usability and it refers to the maximum
wind load with which the system can work. This condition is setted
to a wind load of 0,2 kN/m2 that refers to a wind speed of 62 km/h.

58
structural mechanics

59
 final design

6. Final Product

__Rendered view of the project After developing the final prototypes of the design and calculating
the structural behaviour of the system the specification for
production will be explained using the knowledge learnt from the
prototyping phase.
Technical drawings for production are generated to define the final
dimensions and systems for the product. The working of different
elements together and the assembling methods are explained in
this section. Different estimations were made for dimensions of
the system and then tested by structural analysis.

61
 final design

Aluminium covering box, 2 mm Aluminium covering box, 2 mm

14 1 2
2
2

Support rib, aluminium tapered

Support rib,
51

aluminium tapered
Load bearing support

Load bearing support

Fabric roll, tension
75
75

spring integrated in
to roll shaft
bracket, steel

bracket, steel
Hexfinished

3d Bolt

Spring roller,
63 mm

137
15º
Hexfinished

3d Bolt

ROLLER BOX

87

84
84

Fabric roll without spring,

motor inside roll for
shading movement
Structural beam,
105
259
255

aluminium 3 mm
105
255

15º
14

14
Structural element, 10 mm steel support rod
Structural element,
21

aluminium 3 mm threatened
21

25
aluminium 3 mm

35
Motor driven 120

50
roller, 63 mm

7
Hexfinished

3d Bolt

Guiding rail,

18 3
bearing support
16 15
Hexfinished
Locking system
removable frontbar
3d Bolt

12

120

120
50
15
80

106
120

120
106
25
Bearing plug
96

63 mm

17
Linear actuator
75
75

9 37 14
- Bearing pin 12 mm

3
Helix trapezoid Bearing box,
3d Bolt

3d Bolt

3d Bolt

3d Bolt
MOTOR - Bearing plug 50 mm

45
Rail system, rod, 16 mm support rod
3

27
35
casted with beam - Frontbar 50 mm
Support rib, aluminium tapered Structural element,
19
13
19

aluminium 3 mm

5
3

3 24 23 9 2 69 2 2 9 23 24 3
3 48 2 4 3 3 4 2 48 3 END DETAIL BEAM
2

2
2d Bolt

2d Bolt
2

60 Width frontbar: 2855 mm 60

4 61 Centre to centre distance: 250 mm 275 Support trapezoid rod
57 3 10 9 61 155 120
75 106 94

FD01 - Page 7 Resp.: KJ Hendriks

62 FD01 - Page 4 Resp.: KJ Hendriks

Project: Flawning Scale: 1:2

Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017

Project: Flawning Scale: 1:2
Course: BuckyLAB Code: AR1B025
Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017
 final design

6.1. Structure

__Prospective view of the structure The structure of the awning is made up of aluminium ribs that
__Technical drawings showing the structural elements
connect the two structural beams inside the roller box. These
scale 1:5
beams are connected to the lateral beams of the system to create
a structural frame. The aluminium ribs are covered by a removable
aluminium cover box to allow for maintenance or replacements.
The rollers inside the covering box are placed in an squared
bearing block, this bearing block is attached to a aluminium plate
at the back through bolts and nuts. The empty space in the roller
box is meant to make it possible to remove the rollers if necessary.
The top roller is equipped with a spring system that goes inside
the roll, tension is created by moving the front bar forward. The
fabric is guided by tube elements supported with bearing systems
to achieve a smooth rotation. The bottom roller contains a small
motor to change the degree of light underneath the awning, this
can be done when the front bar is fixed to a certain position.
The rollers, bearing blocks and support systems for the rollers are
all standard elements produced by SunStock, these elements did
not have to be redesigned.

63
 final design

Centroid motor - rotation point: 77 mm

4 89 2

+3.350

8 10 12

19
30
23º 77

Aluminium cover, 2 mm
D02 D02

Linear actuator: 1.030

1.081
Linear movement
upwards for rotation

Centroid motor - rotation point: 77 mm

4 89 2

+3.350

8 10 12

19
30
D02

150
D01 3.000 D01
23º 77
Scale 1:2 2.000

Aluminium cover, 2 mm
D02 D02

Linear actuator: 1.030

1.081
Trapezoid rod, 16 mm

Travellengt rollerbox: 800 mm

Linear movement
upwards for rotation

3.000
3.265
2.400
D02

150
2.250
D01 3.000 D01
Scale 1:2 2.000

Total height covering box: 1.100 mm

Trapezoid rod, 16 mm

Travellengt rollerbox: 800 mm

3.000
200
Aluminium cover, 2 mm

3.265
Linear actuator,
movement box
drives the roller
box up- and
downwards
10 120

265
2.400
MOTOR

2.250
Total height covering box: 1.100 mm
Sideview
Scale 1:20 FD01 - Page 2 Resp.: KJ Hendriks

30 2 mm 20

200
Project: Flawning Scale: 1:2
Linear actuator,
movement box
Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017

Aluminium cover,
CABLE drives the roller
CHAMBER box up- and
downwards Course: BuckyLAB Code: AR1B025
+2.250 10 120

265
95
D01
01.2
4 67 2 20 2
MOTOR
Scale 1:2

GSEducationalVersion
Sideview
Scale 1:20 FD01 - Page 2 Resp.: KJ Hendriks

20
Project: Flawning Scale: 1:2

CABLE Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017

30

CHAMBER
Course: BuckyLAB Code: AR1B025
+2.250
95
D01
01.2
4 67 2 20 2
Scale 1:2

GSEducationalVersion

64
 final design

6.2. Flipping System

__Prospective view of the flipping mechanism The main part of the design is the flipping mechanism, a motorized
__Technical drawing showing the internal elements
element moves the awning from a vertical to a horizontal position.
of the column scale 1:5
__Linear actuator by Helix Linear Technology Two motors are placed into two columns next to the awning.
taken from: Lead screw linear actuators.pdf The back corner of the awning is attached to an element that
__Cross section that shows the flipping movement
moves in vertical direction along a steel trapezoid rod. A support
bracket is on one side attached to the column and on the other
side, at a distance of two meters, fixed to the beam.
The flipping movement is possible because the beams and the
system rotate around the connection of the bracket while the
roller box is moving up or down.
The linear actuator inside the columns is a standardized product
already used on the market for small scale movements as shown in
the previous page. A heavier motor is needed in this configuration,
it is possible to make an adjustment in the length of the screw.
A special movement box will be created to fit the attachment
element of the rollerbox.

65
 final design

1:2

Aluminium covering box, 2 mm

14 1 2
Hexfinished

1d Bolt
SV
2
4

15
Support rib, aluminium tapered
1d Bolt

Hexfinished

SV

35
75

137
15º

120
50

87

84
Thermoset plastic
bearing, shaft hole
⌀12 mm
Aluminium

35
support plate
105

257
251

15º Structural beam, aluminium 3 mm

3
Structural element,

7
Removable fabric roll 21 aluminium 3 mm Load bearing

21

21
16

8
3 50 3 9 3 bracket pin

10
2
120
Fabric Bearing block, thermoset plastic, Unlocking bearing block, removable
shaft hole ⌀12 mm bearing pin and front bar
40

62

120
120
95
5

96

88
Linear actuator
3
75

60º

16
MOTOR

9
8

7
4

4
75 106 94 378 2
275
155 beamlength 2.850 mm
563 2 18 2

275
2 2 151 118 2

FD01 - Page 3 Resp.: KJ Hendriks

Motor driven Project: Flawning Scale: 1:2

roller, 63 mm
Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017
Movable frontbar, retractable fabric
Aluminium covering box, 2 mm

Removable fabric roll, to the top

Course: BuckyLAB Code: AR1B025

Bearing plug 118

63 mm

01.3
Structural element

GSEducationalVersion

2d Bolt

1:1
5 6

4
3d Bolt

3d Bolt

3d Bolt

3d Bolt
Hexfinished

Hexfinished

Hexfinished

Hexfinished

2d Bolt

Linear actuator
15

3d75 Bolt
61

Hexfinished
60
16

Hexfinished

3d75 Bolt

Bearing block, thermoset plastic,

17

shaft hole ⌀12 mm

4

3
3d Bolt
2

Hexfinished

61 102 110

Support bracket, steel 12 mm

Rotation parts

1:5

FD01 - Page 6 Resp.: KJ Hendriks

Project: Flawning Scale: 1:2

66
Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017

Course: BuckyLAB Code: AR1B025

01.6
 final design

6.3. Retracting System

__Spring loaded roller used in windscreen CRH The retracting system for the film is, as mentioned before, driven
Shutters and Awnings by two linear actuators situated in both the beams. On top of the
__Bearing block shaft 12 mm from CRH Shutters
and Awnings movement box there is a thermoset plastic bearing block with a
__Technical drawing showing the retracting system shaft dimension of 12 mm to fit the bearing pin of the front bar. This
with all the elements of which it is composed bearing block is derived from a standardized element produced by
sclae 1:5 CRH as seen in the picture on the previous page. The front bar can
__Prospective sectional view of the lateral beam with
the moving box be removed by unlocking the spring lock on the front side of the
bearing block.
The sliding box moves along a trapezoid rod that has a specific
distance between the threats to create a balance between speed
and strength because, as the distance between the threats
increases, the motor needs to be stronger to allow for the rotation
of the rod.
A spring-loaded film roll is used inside the roller box to keep
tension on the film when it is pulled out, this element is also a
standardized element from CRH as illustrated on the previous
page.
A removable front plate is placed at the end of the beam to make
possible to take out the whole actuator system, the front plate
stays in place because of friction created by using rubber on the
edges, this will prevent this element from falling off.

67
 final design

PLANVIEW

STAGE 1
In this stage the pattern is totally overlapped

0% TRANSPARANCY

STAGE 2
In this stage the pattern is 75% overlapped

3.500
25% TRANSPARANCY

A1 A1

STAGE 3
In this stage the pattern is 50% overlapped

3.000 50% TRANSPARANCY

FD01 - Page 1 Resp.: KJ Hendriks

SECTION A1 Project: Flawning Scale: 1:2

The movement of the different rollers generates a motion in the pattern to change the degree of light entering the space
underneath the awning. The frontbar can thereby totally be retracted Subject: Prototype drawings Date: 11-12-2017

Course: BuckyLAB Code: AR1B025

01.1
GSEducationalVersion

68
 final design

6.4. Pattern Film

__Technical drawing showing the entire product and During the development of the pattern mechanism for the final
the different configurations of the pattern film product the only difficulties were finding the right material to
allow for the pattern to be printed. The pattern was designed
and optimised during the weeks before prototyping and was
already fully developed before the building week. Therefore, no
more developments were needed regarding this system in the
final stage of the design.
The movement of the different rollers generates a sliding
motion of the pattern, this changes the degree of light entering
the space underneath the awning. Infinite configurations are
possible going from a screening of 100% to a maximum level of
transparency of 50%.

69
 final design

Removable aluminum cover

plate fitted with bolts 2mm thick

Bearing plug with stepping

motor inside the roller, 63 mm Ø
Tapered support rib Structural rotation Tapered support rib that Cover box, Aluminum,
element host the bearing plug 2mm thick

Guiding roller on
bearings to support of
fabric 16 mm Ø

End plate to fix

the bearing block

End roller guide PVC

Bearing plug with stepping

motor inside the roller, 63 mm Ø

Linear actuator motor

Aluminum structural Base plate, Rotating trapezoid

Ball bearing Bolt and Washer member Aluminum Bristles Structural beam rod,16 mm Ø

70
 final design

End support of Load bearig Tensile bracket Bristles Tensile bracket Load bearing
the trapezoid rod bracket hinge member 1 member bracket hinge
1 mm Ø 11 mm Ø

Nut and Washer

Movement
box

Rotating trapezoid
rod,16 mm Ø

Structural beam

End cover plate

with rubber gaskets

Nut and Washer Bolt, 11 mm Ø

Linear
actuator Rotating trapezoid Wall mount Bearing plug, free rolling Movement End support of
motor rod,18 mm Ø box 63 mm Ø Front bar 63 mm Ø box the trapezoid rod

71
 production and materials

7. Production and
Materials
__Manufacturing industry for Aluminium The materials are defined by using the CES database by reviewing
taken form: khabarmohem.com/538685 possible materials and production processes. These materials
are chosen according to the calculated stresses and deformations
from the structural analysis.
The production techniques for the components are derived also
from CES database and were also inspired by the production
techniques presented by our fellow students during the
presentation on the second week of January.
The main aim for producing the whole system is a structure as
light as possible that takes into consideration also the costs of
the system. The consideration about production are based on
considering the product to be mass produced and sold in the
Dutch market.

73
 production and materials

T-Slot Die
Design Die
Inner Profile

Outer Profile
Die Backer

Die Holder

Dies

Profile
cross section to
be converted to

Container
Billet Heated and lubricated
Final
Product
Streched and

6 cut to size

Extruded
profile is cooled

Hydraulic Press
pushes billet into container

5
Billet
Hydraulic Ram
4
pushes billet against die
5 6 7

8
3
2 9
Log Furnace
Aluminum Log Heated 10
to 426 - 496 C

Aluminium Sheared Billet Transfered Die Holder Extrusion Puller Streched Cut to Size
Aluminum log cut to size (billet) Guides and pulls away
Bucky Lab - Jan, 2018
Diego Valencia
Ivneet Singh Bhatia
Aluminium Extrusion Process Animation - AMS by CMG Designs Ioanna Tzetzi

74
 production and materials

7.1. Structural Elements

__Aluminium extrusion process poster The production technique suitable for the elements of the structure
by D. Valencia, I. Singh Bhatia, I. Tzetzi is metal extrusion. The elements are the lateral beams and the
__CES material analysis on structural elements
structural elements inside the covering box. The economic batch
size of Hot metal extrusion is in between 50 - 10,000 pieces.
Aluminium is chosen as material due to the structural behaviour
and the relatively low density of the material, a lightweight
structure is needed with enough strength and stiffness. The
maximum stresses calculated in the beam by the structural
analysis is 38 MPa.
Therefore, aluminium is a suitable material, the yield strength is
not too high but fits the required amount of stress. The aluminium
chosen for this product is Aluminium 6061 T4, this materials
fulfils the needed yield strength above 38 MPa having a value of 50
MPa. The density*price ratio is among the lowest comparing the
different aluminium alloys.
The sections of the different elements needs to be continuous when
using aluminium extrusion. Therefore, the different partitions are
designed in such a way that the section is uninterrupted and fits
this production process.

75
 production and materials

76
 production and materials

7.2. Covering Box

__Reoll forming process poster The covering of the roller box is made out of a sheet of 1 mm of
by A. Tsagkalou, D. Pouniou, M. Kyanidou, aluminium. This element is just a covering and less strength
N. Christidi
__CES material analysis on covering box is needed. The most important criteria for this element is the
density, a low value is needed to reduce the weight of the whole
box. Aluminium is chosen due to the density*price ratio of this
material. Other possible materials are composites or foam and
honeycombs, the last two are only used as core material and the
composites are out of price range. Aluminium is also chosen to
match the appearance of this box with the rest of the structure.
The benefit of this thin section is that it can easily bend into the
desired shape. Cold shape rolling is the best production technique
for the covering, the range of section thickness of this process is
1-250 mm. The shape of the final product is not too difficult, only
five bends have to be made for the whole covering of the system.
The economic batch size of this process is around 10.000 units.

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I 2 3

Lubricating Dies Molten Stainless Steel

6 5 4

7 8
Molded part Ejected by pins Jari Dijkema // 4652487
Premith Satish // 4742346
Prethvi Raj // 4738659
PRODUCTION PROCESS | DIE CASTING | DOOR HANDLE Siems van Sluijs // 4636848

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7.3. Support Brackets

__Die casting process poster The material chosen for the support brackets is Stainless steel,
by J. Dijkema, P. Satish, P. Raj, S. van Sluijs martensitic AISA 420F, aluminium is also a possibility for this
__CES material analysis on covering box
bracket considering a bigger cross section of the element due to a
lower Yield strength and Tensile strength of the material.
A more slim structure can be generated by using Stainless steel, the
Yield strength is one third higher than Aluminium, this outweighs
the increase in price. The CO2-footprint of the Stainless steel is
also much lower then that of aluminium, a lower environmental
impact together with a slim structure is achieved by choosing this
material.
The support bracket will be produced by using Die Casting, the
choice of this production process is based on high batch size. Since
this product is used as structural element this process reduces
also impurities in the cast.

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 production and materials

7.4. Pattern Film

__Modular calendaring machine for ANDRITZ The plastic film has firstly to be transparent or at least translucent
taken from: andritz.com to allow for the light to come in without diffusion. It also has to
__CES material analysis on the pattern film
be enough flexible to roll around the tubes in the rolling system
and also being stiff enough not to fall or sag in the system, the
chosen material has to have a low flexural modulus, as well as
high fracture toughness.
Moreover, good UV, corrosion resistance and non-flammability
of the material is crucial. Weight of the material also play an
important role since it affects the whole system. FEP seems the
best choice since it has a good balance between flexural modulus
and Young’s modulus. It is also transparent which will help to cast
sharper shadows on the ground, it is non-flammable, and it is UV
light, fresh and salt water resistant. With FEP, various types of
painting, printing and texturing after treatments are also possible.
The production technique suitable is calendaring, since we need
long rolls of the fabric of at least 7 meters. In this process the raw
material is fed in between the rolls produces long rolls of films.
With calendaring, the embossing rolls can even be used to add
texture to the rolls. The sheet is then cooled and collected. Capital
costs are very high with this process and if uniforms films are
required it can take some time for it to finish. The mass range is
versatile and it can create as thin section thickness as 0.05 mm.

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 summary

8. Summary

The commence of this design process was when we were asked

to individually design a terrace shading for the garden of a typical
Dutch row house 6 meters wide and 10 meters long. We had to first
get a good glimpse into the available technologies in the market to
be able to go further in developing innovative ideas.
After each of us presented their ideas in the elevator pitch, we
teamed up based on our design preferences with three other
people. Our chosen design was a combination of two similar
concepts integrated with a third concept for the shading fabric.
The concepts that we wanted to develop were based on our
team design concept, which is multi-functionality, flexibility and
user friendliness. These criteria were achieved by three main
mechanisms:
1. The flipping system which provides the users with the option of
changing the angle of the shading system including the vertical
and horizontal positions. Therefore, during most of the days when
a normal awning is simply closed the whole system can be flipped
on the façade and, in this way, our shading device can work also as
screening for the windows.
2. The retracting system provides even more flexibility introducing
the possibility of generating a movement of the front bar to totally
retract the film. This plays an important role especially when the
system is flipped down on the façade acting as a screen on the
windows of the house. This system also accommodates rolling of
the shading film to create different stages of transparency.

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3. The pattern, which is integrated in the covering film of the

shading device, is intended to firstly make a tree-like atmosphere in
the shaded space and secondly, to create degrees of transparency
by blocking different amounts of light.
We started developing our concepts right after the elevator pitch
by first setting our criteria and then trying to solve the encountered
problems or the unknown aspects of our design. We eventually
had to come up with drawings and trial models to discuss with
tutors and among ourselves how the systems work and how we
can improve them. After a few weeks we started making the
drawings for the building weeks along with thoughts on how we
want to build the prototypes and what we want to showcase in
these models. We focused on the special aspects on our design,
the effort we made during the building weeks was to present the
best aspects of our sunshade in the clearest way.
After and during the building weeks, which were full of learning, a
little danger and lots of cold, struggling to finish in time, we could
finally optimize our design for the real production.
To define the final product, we did several analyses on strength and
environmental impact to choose the different materials for each
element. The choice of the dimension of the structural system
and the final materials are based on an analytical and numerical
researches on the structural behaviour of the elements.
In the end it has been an incredible opportunity for us to develop
our potential talents and preferences into real products from
concept to reality.

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 9. Reflections

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 reflections

Leonardo Enzio Pozzi Kees Jan Hendriks

Overall I really think this studio and all the annex courses taught In general I really liked the approach of working in the way learned
me a lot during this semester. Starting from a design point of in the BuckyLab course, all the different courses come together in
view, on which I was already confident due to my Architecture one single design, different aspects have to be taken into account.
background, to the more technical aspects where my knowledge Also walking through all the phases of designing was interesting,
lacked the most. I really liked the hands on approach of the studio beginning with a very first concept and ending with a detailed
and the passion that distinguish the tutors of this course. Pushing working prototype that is used to define the real production product.
the students to build models on the designed mechanisms was After the first designing phase I already realized that the individual
the most exciting aspects of the studio. For me it was the first time design, before the elevator pitch, was too complicated for a feasible
working with models in such detailed scale. The two building weeks product. In the beginning it looked like a ‘simple’ design, but this
at the warehouse had been an incredible experience that I will view totally changed by defining all the different elements and
probably never forget. Learning how to control all the machineries thinking about the technical systems of the different partitions. It is
used to build the prototypes was a good way to understand how really useful to design and build a system in a one to one scale, you
professionals work on the construction site understanding a lot see all the constrains coming up that you don’t see in the drawings.
about the possible accuracy of the different machines. When
The structural frame is now a feature added later to the design, the
lines are drawn on computer software every tenth of millimetre
beams and the roller box are converted to one continuous frame. This
is possible but when working with materials in order to build the
element could be more optimized by taking this into account in one
prototype in the exact dimensions it is a different thing.
of the beginning phases. The structural system could be integrated in
On the other hand, I believe that the organisation and the deadlines a better way and the design could be shaped in such a way that less
schedule of the courses was not planned in the best way. Now, material was needed and a more efficient design was developed.
in the last week we still have to manage four deadlines for the
The product can be made less complicated by omitting one of the
different courses and additionally the building physics exam. The
fabric rolls, using two rolls increases the weight of the structure and
integrated courses of the Bucky Lab such as Material Science and
makes it a more expensive system. The double rolling system can
Structural Mechanics should start working on the design in the
be added as a function that can be chosen by the end-user therefore
earlier phase to actually improve the final design. They should
you increase the possibilities of bringing the product to the market.
also finish before the end of the semester to avoid overlapping
deadlines with the laboratory itself and other courses of the The main approach of the whole course is about combining all
second quarter. We can say that we did not have a CAD course at the knowledge from the different subjects like Material Science,
all during this semester and that in my opinion was a pity. It is true Structural Mechanics and CAD. Implementing this knowledge
that the software can be learnt online but it is always more time into a real design creates a more perceptible way of learning,
spending and less efficient that by following a dedicated course. understanding things in a real product is much easier. The
disadvantage of the combination of all this courses into one design
To conclude, I can say that I am proud of the end result of this
is that all the submissions of the assignments are compressed into
course and the possibility of exposing the projects at the fair in
the last weeks. Only after the building weeks it is possible to really
Rotterdam was a really nice supplement to get in touch with the
finish the design and define materials and the structural parts. The
world outside the academic environment.
tutoring of structural mechanics can start earlier to already begin
with the calculations before the building weeks. In the end the
whole BuckyLAB course was really interesting, I have learned a lot
by thinking on a scale like one to one.
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 reflections

Subhranshu Panda Narges Miryazdi

The course of building technology is as energetic as it sounds at At the end of this course, I find myself very happy with the whole
the first place. Starting from the micro level details to solving the Bucky lab experience and our final design, especially since it
real world problems related to the specific design is truly inspiring works very effectively and I think it has minimal impact on the
and definitely builds confidence by the end of this course. The appearance of the building that it is attached to which can be even
hands on experience of this course is engaging, knowledgeable further reduced by retracting the system. Despite its simple looks
and a very exciting, that an architecture student must have an it has integrated complicated mechanisms within and has many
experience of before starting to shape the world correctly. options to offer to the users. I am really enthusiastic about how
The collaboration of the course with various related subjects, creates the shadow actually look in the 1:10 model and how maximum
a multi-dimension learning environment. Designing and analysing transparency can be achieved in seconds.
each and every possible aspect of the product to make it build in the For further developments, I suggest using smart materials to
real life, would not have been in my knowledge without this course. accommodate environmentally responsive movements in the
It helps us in mastering and gaining ideas of all the different field in fabric and pattern design could be further studied. Moreover,
combination and implement them in a single product. studies could take place to analyse the thermal and sound effects
The collaboration of the course with companies or manufacturer of the shading on the interior of the house, since it is at times
that pioneer in the market specific to the element we design and placed on the window as a screen.
build take it to another level of perception. This course no doubts I learnt a lot from this course, especially because it was integrated
provides a platform common to all and master the thoughts and with other subjects. However, I would have liked to have more
skills in designing. technical input about mechanical systems, how they function,
This course helped me with new knowledge and skills that did their details and how they can be integrated in a design after the
broaden my vision to how I analyse and use every product in my elevator pitch when we started thinking about mechanisms.
daily life and gather the interest and the ideas I developed to Secondly, I did not find some of the submissions related to CAD
understand the same to the very ground level of detail. This will course such as the ones of Maya useful and at the end of the course.
not only help me be a smart designer in the future but also give This course despite its important role had insufficient input.
me a push in innovating the unthought-of and serving the future. Also, again I believe that the input of some of the courses such as
Building Physics and Structural mechanics are insufficient, and
frequently the tutors prefer to assume that the student have already
advanced knowledge of the courses. Moreover, some of the programs
like Diana are very user-unfriendly and I suggest better alternatives
should be taught. Also, too many practical and reports have to be
dealt with, which makes learning each of them also impossible since
there is no time to concentrate on those that we are interested in.
I have heard from my seniors that this course is improving each year,
and I look forward to observing a better course in the years to come.

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the multifunctional sunshade

the multifunctional sunshade

Report: AR1B015-D1 Bucky Lab Design
The Design Process of TOVIP

Authors: Leonardo Enzio Pozzi 4744462

Kees Jan Hendriks 4655397
Narges Miryazdi 4749561
Subhranshu Panda 4727606

Instructor: Marcel Bilow

Casper den Daas