The University of Utah, the third-ranked university in the U.S. for renewable energy use, has launched their publicity campaign for Solar Ivy!

The idea of bringing Solar Ivy to the University of Utah was initiated by senior Environmental Studies major Tom Melburn.  Two-thirds of funding for the project will come from the University’s Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund, supplemented by donations from the community.  Visit the SCIF’s fundraising page for more information about how to support the project!

The forthcoming issue of Organic Spa Magazine will feature an article about Solar Ivy by journalist Rima Suqi.  Rima interviewed SMIT co-founder Samuel Cochran for the piece in order to delve deeper into the inspiration behind Solar Ivy.

A great bit of press on the release of Tensile Solar this week from our friend Ben Jervey at GOOD Magazine. The post highlights Tensile Solar’s unique design and potential to alter the dialogue around implementing solar technology. The topic has been picked up by a number of other sites, including EcoGeek and Jetson Green.

Check back in to see a series of posts over the coming weeks that will outline the design and theory behind Tensile Solar!

Funding has been approved through the University’s Sustainable Campus Initiative to install Solar Ivy on the south-facing facade of the Orson Spencer Hall building.

Each year Utah’s Campus Sustainability Initiative Fund takes proposal submissions from students for projects that can help reduce the University’s dependence on fossil fuels.  Tom Melburn, a student from the university, reached out to SMIT in January to explore the possibility of developing a proposal to install Solar Ivy on one of their buildings.  The proposal was accepted on April 15.

The Campus Sustainability Initiative Fund and the University’s Office of Sustainability will collaborate with SMIT on the installation at Orson Spencer Hall, above.  Check back in here to see how the project progresses.  We will be sure to provide updates as we reach major milestones.

SMIT is excited to be working with Science World Vancouver to develop an innovative new exhibit space.

Science World Vancouver opened to the public in 1990.  For the most recent renovation and expansion of the museum’s facilities they are building a new structure to house a Rube Goldberg machine and exhibit.

The engineers behind the project reached out to SMIT to express interest in cladding the facade of that building with Solar Ivy.  Since then SMIT has worked with the museum’s team to develop a design for an application of Solar Ivy that will provide power to the space enclosed within the tower.

Check back in to see how the project advances over the coming months!

SMIT is very pleased to announce that Solar Ivy will be installed at the Environment Museum of the Montreal Biosphere!

The Montreal Biosphere’s Environment Museum is housed in a Buckminster Fuller dome originally constructed for the 1967 World’s Fair.  The museum presents exhibitions and installations focusing on issues related to conservation, biodiversity and sustainability and is an important environmental education institution.

The installation of Solar Ivy will add diversity to the museum’s platform of educational exhibits and features around renewable energy.  Solar Ivy was selected for its unique aesthetic and analysis-driven design.  Solar Ivy will challenge visitors’ preconceptions of how solar panels look and the spaces they occupy.

SMIT is excited by the opportunity this installation presents: to engage larger communities in conversations about renewable energy technology and the role it plays in our lives and societies.

Stay tuned for images of the final installation!

SMIT is excited to announce the launch of Tensile Solar: lightweight, customizable membrane structures. Spanning a wide variety of residential and commercial applications, Tensile Solar draws upon advances in thin film solar technology, composite building materials and membrane architecture.

Tensile Solar is characterized by its modularity, efficient use of materials and analysis-driven design. The proprietary generative design platform behind Tensile Solar includes tools for customization, environmental analysis and development of manufacturing documents. We will be posting more on these features as well as the driving values and genealogy behind Tensile Solar over the coming weeks.

Please visit www.TensileSolar.com for more information.

Though it has been up for a couple months, we thought we would urge any and all who have not yet visited to be sure they catch this excellent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.  Paola Antonelli and the Department of Architecture and Design curated this sweeping survey of design from the perspective of time, selecting pieces that represent both the short and long views.

Make sure you check it out, as well as the other great exhibitions at MoMA.

Co-founder Sam Cochran directed design for an award-winning diagnostic tool for use by doctors in underdeveloped regions where access to laboratory facilities is inconsistent or nonexistent.  The device, designed under Prof. Samuel Sia of Columbia University, uses microfluidics to test for an array of diseases, including sexually-transmitted infections and was field-tested in cooperation with the Rwandan Government.

(image via MIT Technology Review)

As you might have noticed, s-m-i-t.com has received a few updates.  There will be some more changes in the next few weeks, so do not be alarmed if things look a bit different when you return.   Also, please visit the new solarivy.com to see some new images and download our latest Solar Ivy product sheet.

SMIT would like to thank Alex Birdsall, Claire D’Aoust and Lucia Pivaral for all of the great work that has gone into these updates.   Stay tuned for more changes in the coming weeks!