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Mönarch
Mönarch combines light, object, and environment to channel the restorative feeling of nature into the built environment.
Mönarch combines light, object, and environment to channel the restorative feeling of nature into the built environment.
Mönarch combines light, object, and environment to channel the restorative feeling of nature into the built environment.
Mönarch combines light, object, and environment to channel the restorative feeling of nature into the built environment.
Mönarch combines light, object, and environment to channel the restorative feeling of nature into the built environment.
Mönarch combines light, object, and environment to channel the restorative feeling of nature into the built environment.
ROLES /
Product Engineer
SERVICES /
End-to-End Design
Product Engineering
3D Modelling & Rendering
UI / UX
TOOLS /
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Rhino 3D
Grasshopper 3D
Solid Works
KeyShot
Objective
Objective
To design a lighting object that incorporates a repetitive element, capturing light when environment and object are intertwined.
Context & Inspiration
Context & Inspiration
Light and shadow
Studies have shown that humans are innately drawn to patterned light, especially sunlight. Different light patterns bring a varying degree of pleasantness and relaxation. Notably mid-complexity fractal and dappled patterns, which are the most prevalent in nature, have been found to be the most adapted to our visual system. These patterns bring together the restorative potential of both sunlight and nature.
Opportunity = Nature inspired light patterns enhance restorativeness and delight.
Context & Inspiration
Patterns found in nature
Humans are natural pattern recognizers, and patterns are present everywhere in nature. Our visual system is hardwired to understand naturally occurring patterns, and when we look at a scene our eyes move through it in the same self-repeating sequences found in nature itself.
Since naturally occurring patterns resonate so deeply within our humanity, how can we bring that connection into the built environment?
Concept
A light fixture that brings the feeling of nature inside through natural patterns and forms.
Process
Ideation
I started by looking to natural forms and patterns, using biomimicry as a framework to explore how nature solves structural and aesthetic problems. Each iteration was CAD / rendered and then 3D printed to study how light physically interacted with the structures.
Process
Form development
I narrowed my focus toward loopier, more sinuous forms. The möbius strip proved to be the clearest fit, an infinite continuous loop whose twists introduce concave and convex planes that catch and direct light differently across its length. From there I began experimenting with patterned cutouts, allowing more light to pass through the form and interact with the surrounding environment.
Process
Process
Process
Refinement
Different variables and metrics went in to creating this exact form.
The number of twists and half-twists in the möbius strip, creating unique ‘wing-like’ structures
The length of the twists, how far the ‘wings’ fan outwards from the center
The randomized hole pattern that populates the surface, from the surface edges inwards, aligning with a predetermined diamon grid to add an underlying order
Array
Solution
Nature's light, inside
We spend the majority of our lives inside, corralled into man-made materials under artificial light that bears little resemblance to the light or environment our biological systems evolved to interpret and experience. Mönarch was designed as a response to that disconnect, a lighting fixture that draws from the patterns and structures of the natural world to bring the restorative quality of nature into the built environment through the light it casts and the shadows it leaves behind.
Mönarch is a lighting fixture designed so that the room it inhabits feels connected to nature.
Details
Components are hidden and easily transferable
The user can easily disassemble and move Mönarch to any lighting opportunity via minimal parts, simple mechanisms, and a universal coupling system. The two wings are joined by hidden magnets and parts, making Monarch intuitive to use and adaptable to any lighting opportunities.
Customize
Customize
Customize
Different lights for different scenarios
Customize
Customize
Customize
Materials
Available in a range of materials, from translucent to opaque, each shifting how light moves through the form and what it leaves behind in the surrounding environment.
Want to see more?
This is just a snapshot of the entire design process. I know you secretly want to see my stacked moodboards or wide range of 3D render ideation. Reach out to megginni.design@gmail.com for the full story!
