Solar Loops

Exhibited at the Superbloom Festival in Munich’s Olympic Park – developed by students of the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Timo Carl, with technical guidance from ASCA.

Solar Loops is a visionary lightweight structure that unites architecture, energy, and lightness in a fluid spatial form. Developed as an interdisciplinary research and design project at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, the installation demonstrates how organic photovoltaics (OPV) can be integrated as both an energy-active and aesthetic element in textile and flexible structures.

The construction consists of 36 curved loops made of translucent polycarbonate, forming a knot-like spatial network suspended within a tensile cable system. The surface-integrated organic photovoltaic modules by ASCA generate energy for lighting and small electronic devices, illustrating how lightweight OPV systems can become both functional and expressive in architectural contexts.

The project was developed within a master studio at the Frankfurt UAS, supervised by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Timo Carl. Hafis Hermann Issa co-supervised the project, providing design and technical consulting to support the OPV integration into the curved geometries of the polycarbonate loops.

First exhibited during the Superbloom Festival 2024 in Munich’s Olympic Park, Solar Loops highlights the potential of organic photovoltaics within experimental architecture, lightweight construction, and energy-driven design aesthetics.