ParaSolar is an installation by Open Source Architecture. It was designed on the occasion of the Tel Aviv Centennial Year celebration and was on display between April 1 and 7, 2009 in the square of the Center for the Performing Arts in Tel Aviv. Located in a 2500m2 plaza, the scale of available area compared to the quantity of information and available resources was vastly disproportionate. It is within this context of responsive efficiency that the project was conceived computationally and materially.

Surrounded on all 4 sides by buildings, the plaza provides varying solar/ shading conditions throughout the day. Seeking to respond to the environmental conditions, the project is organized according to solar intensity while using minimal amounts of energy and materials. In order to achieve the most performance per energy unit, we focused on developing a single procedure that integrated the influence of solar conditions into a skin that is simultaneously structure, cladding, sign and envelop. The ideal material and structure for this was pneumatics.

The installation creates a phototropic environment of 27 square meters stage and 81 inflatables – solar units – that range from 82cm to 273cm. the shape, direction and size of the inflatables were determined by the sun orbit and radiation. As such, ParaSolar proposes a sunscape – a landscape reflecting the sun’s orbit. The longer a solar unit is exposed to the sun, the taller and more curved it becomes. The curve is used to create local shade that will facilitate better viewing of the presented work. The units create a local micro-environment by the shading they offer. Thus, they suggest a new mode for the culture of display – an eco-exhibit, a new way to present work in response to localized ecological data.

Each unit feature a work by a student or students group that participated in the international students’ competition “Tel Aviv 2059: From Garden City to Ecosystem”. The students were asked to envision Tel Aviv in 50 or 100 years’ time.