Sunmak

Sunmak is a term used in speculative design and energy humanities to describe a holistic approach to solar energy deployment that emphasizes distributed, modular systems integrated with the built environment. The concept envisions turning sunlight into usable electricity and daylight through a combination of building-integrated photovoltaics, daylighting strategies, and thermal capture, deployed from the scale of a single building to entire neighborhoods. Proponents argue that sunmak supports resilience and local energy autonomy by reducing dependence on centralized plants and lengthy transmission, while enabling architectural form to participate actively in energy generation.

Origins and scope: The term emerges in contemporary design discourse as a coined blend of sun and mak, intended to signal the making or crafting of sunlight into usable power. It is primarily used in theoretical discussions, studio exercises, and pilot proposals rather than as a standardized engineering framework.

Key components and methods: Projects described as sunmak favor distributed solar façades, roof-integrated PV and thermal collectors, and daylighting schemes such as skylights and light shelves. Smart energy management, building automation, and modular integration are emphasized to balance generation, storage, and consumption.

Criticism and challenges: Critics point to the complexity of coordinating many distributed devices, possible higher upfront costs, and regulatory hurdles in grid-connection and building codes.

See also: Solar energy, Building-integrated photovoltaics, Daylighting, Passive solar design.