2026 - Daylight in Transformations – Folding Light

Folding Light: Adaptive Dual-Effect Façade for Lima’s Slums In Lima’s densely packed slums, steep hillsides and fog-shrouded winters trap buildings in perpetual gloom. Narrow alleys and windowless rooms breed health crises—tuberculosis rates soar as sunlight, a natural disinfectant, remains scarce. Folding Light reimagines the façade as a dual-purpose system: harvesting light and water from Lima’s unique climate to transform slum dwellings into healthy, self-sustaining homes. The design repurposes discarded Tetra Pak cartons into reflective panels (93.3% reflectivity) and fog collectors.

In winter, when Lima’s “garúa” fog blankets the city, the façade unfolds into a 60°-angled mesh. This geometry overcomes aerodynamic drag, capturing 8–10 liters of water daily per 2m²—enough for basic household cleaning. Simultaneously, the panels redirect faint winter sunlight (at 54.5° angles) deep into rooms, banishing dark corners where bacteria thrive.Summer brings intense vertical sun. Here, the façade compresses into a 2-fold configuration, diffusing glare while channeling light into upper rooms. For lower levels, a secondary reflector bounces sunlight at 90° angles, ensuring even the deepest spaces receive illumination. Structural nodes use recycled steel pipes, allowing residents to assemble the system with minimal tools—turning waste into a community-driven solution.Beyond technology, Folding Light fosters social resilience. Water collected from fog irrigates rooftop gardens, while sunlit rooms become spaces for children to study and families to gather. By merging passive design with circular material use, the project proves that even the most marginalized communities can harness nature’s rhythms. It’s not just a façade—it’s a lifeline, turning Lima’s fog and sunlight into tools for health, dignity, and hope.