NURALITH

DESIGNERS
Italo Boccuto, Andrea Sgherza, Giuseppe Tota, Adriana Valentini
Professor Giuseppe Fallacara

ACADEMIC INSTITUTION
Polytechnic of Bari

AFFILIATED COMPANY
Gioia Marmi

MATERIALS USED
Black Granite, Carrara Marble, glass, solar panel

DESCRIPTION
NuraLith is a proposal for a stone cladding system composed of single 60x60 cm stone tiles, where each module produces its own energy to light itself up at night, thanks to solar panels that stand on the exterior surface. Its name derives from the Arabic word’s transliteration “nur” رون) ), that means “light” and “lith”, short for lithic.
The reference with the Arabic world comes from the possibility to propose an innovative and sustainable system for the nowadays’ increasing urbanisation of desertic areas, but also connected with local architecture. This panel comes as a self-managing solution to reduce the heating
of plain surfaces, to use solar energy for its night lighting system and to be a filter to natural sun rays in the daytime; the parametric designed pattern that cuts the frontal stone slab is inspired to the typical Arabic masharabiya.
NuraLith configurates as a sandwich panel, with two thin stone slabs enclosing one plexiglass layer; the 2 cm thick exposed slab is made in dark marble and has a hole pattern, whereas the other slab is thinner (1,5 cm) and is a onyx stone whole piece;
all the layers of the composed tile are cut for the central solar panel, guaranteeing its exposure and possibility to change it.
The solar panel is directly connected to a LED strip, positioned on the base of the plexiglass layer. Energy collected during the day would power the LED and lighten the plexiglass slab up at night. The light would therefore pass through the squared holes on the exposed stone slab, whose size and abundance can be parametrically designed in function of the solar rays they have to filter. The prototype layers are linked thanks to a metal profile section, that also allows the assembly of the modules on cross struts.
This prototype aims to be a smart solution for buildings’ skins and curtain walls, to face climate change threatens and buildings’ excessive warming. NuraLith is double sided as its functionality: it allows both light passing and light emission, thanks to its thin and translucent stone layers, transforming the idea of solar light cycle.