Providing cooling shade during the day and atmospheric area lighting at night, the Umbra Pavilion on display during the Dutch Design Week 2025 in Eindhoven, Netherlands, features heliotex, a novel technical textile that integrates flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells.
The heliotex technology, formerly known as Suntex, emerged from a four-year collaboration between Studio Pauline van Dongen and textile engineering company Tentech, both based in Netherlands.
The Umbra Pavilion is a canopied structure that spans 40 m² and measures 9.6 meters in height. It integrates 150 ASCA GmbH & Co OPV modules across 8 m² with an output of 53 W/m2. It includes a 3 kWh battery energy storage unit provided by Netherlands-based Wattsun and dozens of white light emitting diodes (LED) and four programmable spotlights in a variety of colors.
The heliotex material is reportedly a high-strength architectural textile made of weather and UV radiation-resistant recycled polyester (rPET) yarn. It can be used for festival tents, shading canopies, temporary shelters, and textile façades, according to the developers.
Weighing 500 g/m², the size and shape, yarns, colours and weave patterns are customizable. It also permits easy separation of the solar modules in case of a module upgrade.
An industrial manufacturing process for heliotex is in development in a Eurostars-funded project with Danish and German partners participating, according to Studio Pauline van Dongen in a statement.
Earlier this year a Cornell University research team in the U.S. announced a dual axis canopy project with integrated PV devices for large surfaces, such as tents and stadium canopies.
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