Dutch Design Week 2022 main pavilion was a collaboration with The Solar Biennale to counterbalance the prevailing technological and economic viewpoints on solar energy. Imagined as a space to experience the poetic power of the sun, the pavilion was an energetic meeting place where visitors could experience the sensory nature of solar energy.
The Solar pavilion is designed by V8 architects together with Marjan van Aubel Studio, who worked together with Kameleon Solar on the development of a unique set of colourful solar panels.
The Netherlands is known worldwide for its designed solutions. In our drive to make our planet more sustainable and our hunger for energy we now use roofs and agricultural fields to generate solar energy. This approach increasingly clashes with our landscape and our cities. Michiel Raaphorst of V8 Architects said: ‘Energy currently gets harvested in a techno-functional manner. We want to find a way to make the energy of the sun integrate into our daily lives, so that we can embrace it, love it and enjoy it.’ Architects, planners and designers should join the conversation and think about the scarcity of materials, space and circularity.
The soalr pavilion was made by forging smart coalitions and working together with material partners on the urgent challenges we face as a society. Marjan van Aubel said: ‘Solar energy needs a new perspective, something more personal and that is part of our culture. It’s time for Solar design and this Pavillion demonstrates this change.’
V8 Architects and Marjan van Aubel Studio previously collaborated on the award-winning Dutch pavilion at the World Expo in Dubai. For Dutch Design Week and the Solar Biennale they collaborated with material suppliers to build a pavilion that combines a “rough” construction with delicate technology. The pavilion consists of four robust steel masts between which a sheet of glass solar panels is stretched. It is fully circular and uses borrowed standard building and energy components that will be returned to the owners and partners. As a result, every part of this pavilion can be disassembled and reused afterwards.
The program for this year’s Pavilion is part of the Solar Biennale. It turns harvesting of the sun into an inspiring public space, with Photo-Voltaic panels becoming more than ordinary technical elements. The pavilion contains 3 distinct places:
The solar field:
A short journey through the roof gives visitors a spectacular experience of color and light standing in the midst of a field of special solar panels by Kameleon Solar and further developed together with Marjan van Aubel Studio
The alcove:
An intimate room that shields and warms the visitor through solar powered infrared panels
The Circle:
The Solar Biennale’s Circle moves along with the activities of the Biennale. Under radiating light, it puts reflection at its core through talks and performances.
The Solar pavilion is the last exhibition of the Solar Biennale and the central meeting place at Dutch Design Week.
