Reflective Balloon
Personal Info
Name: Federica Sanchez
Nationality: Italian and U.S.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/federicasnchz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/federica.sanchez.37/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/federica-sanchez-architect/
Name: Gabriele Mundula
Nationality: Italian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/progettojenov4/
-FINALIST of Non Architecture Award Competition | Category: Aspatial
In the coming years, global warming will provoke many problems, threatening humans’ life on Earth. One of the causes of temperature rise is the huge amount of rays coming from the Sun, responsible of heat accumulation and ultraviolet radiations (D.A. Rutan et al., 2015). Melting glaciers, sea level rise and desertification process are only few examples of the need of prompt changes.
At the beginning of 2020, Tomàs Saraceno presented the project “Fly with Aerocene Pacha”: a balloon able to float in the air without any fossil fuel, using exclusively the energy coming from the sun and the wind. Inspired by this device and by the animal world, the project REFLECTIVE BALLOON consists of a balloon surrounded by a rigid and light structure. On top of it, a feathering layer serves as reflective surface of sunrays: in this way the rays will not fall on Earth, but instead will be sent back to the outer space. With a combination of technologies and innovative materials, such as the ionic wind propulsion (J. Chu, 2018) and 3D printed Kevlar fiber, the balloon constantly drifts on the wind, operating as a moving shielding without using any fuel. After some time, thanks to the presence of these balloons in the air, the general albedo (reflecting power of a surface) that characterizes our planet, will increase. This mechanism could help limit the consequences of the Sun radiations and will keep a balance between the inevitable changes that affect our planet and the biosphere.
Project Type: NonA Awards, Aspatial Category
