Designer working at the intersection of strategy, systems, and sustainability
Solair is a solar and ambient light powered personal fan designed for a hotter, more uncertain climate future. Grounded in Solar Punk philosophy, it asks: what would sustainable personal cooling look like?
Product Innovation, 3D Modeling (SolidWorks),
Keyshot Render & Animation, Design Research/Strategy, CMF
Course: Design Lab 2
Time frame: 14 Weeks (08.2025)
Professor: Jonathan Abarbanel
*Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored project and not officially affiliated with Snow Peak Company, all logos/images used for nominative, non-commercial, and demonstration purposes only as student work
SOLARPUNK
Solarpunk:
a social, literary, and artistic movement that imagines technology, nature, and humanity in harmony. Solarpunk is the design philosophy for Solair’s core values
Why Solarpunk Values are relevant today:
Why many people don’t adapt Solar Energy:
So, what would sustainable personal cooling look like?
Sustainable cooling products exist, but most ask users to spend more, sacrifice convenience, or commit to infrastructure they don't own
Solar adoption fails not because of performance, but because of perceived inconvenience and behavioral friction
Key Insights:
1. People increasingly value energy independence, especially as climate and policy become less stable
2. Sustainable products fail when they demand behavioral sacrifice
= convenience is non-negotiable
3. Solar and cooling products are perceived as seasonal, which limits how much people are willing to invest in them
CONCEPT IDEATION & PROTYPING
SOLAIR
Functional Features
Feedback for Use
Powerfoyle -
Renewable Power with ambient and solar light sources
Details
Indoor and Outdoor Use
BENCHMARK FAN
LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS (LCA) OF BENCHMARK
KEY INSIGHTS
BENCHMARK VS SOLAIR
The stakeholders who benefit from Solair’s design start from:
Making sustainability feel inevitable rather than imposed was the hardest design constraint. If I were to continue this project, I'd prototype the Powerfoyle integration to test whether the energy output holds under real indoor conditions.