The inaugural Soho House Design Prize is a new global initiative in partnership with Genesis Motor America, created by Soho House to support emerging designers. Soho House was looking for submissions from up-and-coming talent in furniture, product design, architecture, landscaping, light, sound, VR, and more.
I have been shortlisted in the competition.
The proposed project is the Sombra Umbrella, completed in collaboration with Sean Burke. This piece is based around a simple enhancement of the umbrella, a product mankind has been using for millennia.
When open, the umbrella will function as a typical umbrella, but will also absorb solar energy through small, flexible solar cells woven into the recycled tarpaulin fabric. When the sun goes down, the Sombra uses stored energy that it has absorbed to power carefully concealed LED lights on its post, providing both lighting for immediate dining and illumination for surrounding pathways. When closed, the form of the Sombra calls on design cues from the early days of Los Angeles' Art Deco era.