The canopy that reduces heat while adding warmth
How can a shading system do more than simply block the sun?
Sunlit Shade tackles overheating at the most exposed parts of the modular COA housing: the roof and upper floors. Instead of treating roof and façade separately, the students developed a modular roof-mounted structure that extends beyond the building edge, creating a generous canopy along the façades.
Lightweight aluminium frames carry tensioned yellow shading fabrics. The textile reduces direct solar radiation before it reaches the building envelope, while still allowing filtered daylight to pass through. From inside, the result is not a darkened room, but a softer, warmer light.
But the project goes beyond thermal performance. The strong yellow canopy introduces colour and identity to the otherwise rather grey and repetitive modular buildings. Extending into the courtyard, the structure also changes the character of the outdoor space below, creating a more sheltered and inviting environment for residents.
The system is conceived as a series of modular components that can be mounted onto the existing roof construction. This makes the intervention adaptable to the repetitive nature of the container buildings and potentially suitable for different configurations and building lengths.
Sunlit Shade shows that climate adaptation does not have to be invisible. A technical measure for reducing heat load can simultaneously become an architectural intervention – providing shade, filtering daylight and giving a temporary building a stronger sense of place.
BuckyLab × COA – Project 3/16
Students: Rosa Demmers, Ilja Mulder, Jesse Sturrus, Mats van Veen & Esther Waegemaekers
Supervisors: Marcel Bilow, Nadia Remmerswaal, Ate Snijder & Govert Flint
facadeworld 