Taking inspiration from one of the most mundane yet beautiful everyday object: the traditional Hand Fan, as well as nature’s flashiest bird, the peacock, I wanted to design a shading system that not only looks beautiful but also cools any visitors. Hong Kong has one of the harshest summer climates in Asia with extremely high humidity (up to 98%) and a constant mind melting temperature (31-32C during day and night). This design, A Fan of Shade (or in short A.F.O.S) was conceived under these circumstances. Because of its modular design, it can be adapted easily in most infrastructure situations and can suit any pre-existing architectural style. As a person who sweats a lot a simple shade usually does not work for me and too much air conditioning (as it is clearly the case in Hong Kong) is just plain devastating to the environment. Each of the “Fan Blades” can be dismounted and fabric can be replaced; something most shading system cannot achieve due to their singular fabric adoption. Sunbrella fabric is of course our choice for the fan blades as we want the most light weight and durable material with widest color and texture catalogue. The 3D printed aluminum frame is sprayed with Bioluminescence paint that during daytime absorbs UV light and at night illuminates like an alien underwater creature.

A.F.O.S concept is derived directly from observing nature such as corals shielding fishes, polyps extruding to feed and anemone flowing in the currents. I wanted to bring a sense of nature to our overly built environment and just like nature, all biological things are not just beautiful but functional. Let’s be a FAN of our planet and enjoy a cooling breeze during the hot summer months.

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