Adaptive shading • Kinetic facades • Daylight labs

We design shade as light itself

SHADION — Studio of Light, Shadow & Adaptive Architecture. We turn harsh sun into soft, cool, money-saving light. 340+ buildings, 12 climate zones, up to 41% less cooling load. From parametric pergolas to full skyscraper skins.

Explore studio ↓See 340+ projects

0Projects built

0% less cooling

0Design awards

0Climate zones

SHADION kinetic facade with dramatic light and shadow

Featured — Dune House, Dubai

Facade that breathes with the sun

1,200 rotating fins • zero motors • pure thermodynamics

Smart Pergolas ✦Kinetic Facades ✦Daylight Modeling ✦Shadow Sculpting ✦Energy Retrofit ✦Smart Pergolas ✦Kinetic Facades ✦Daylight Modeling ✦Shadow Sculpting ✦Energy Retrofit ✦

01 — About studio

Shadow is our building material

● BASED IN LISBON / DUBAI / KYOTO

SHADION (shade + ion) was founded in 2016 by architects and physicists obsessed with one question: what if a building could control sunlight like a camera aperture?

Today we are 42 engineers, designers and daylight scientists. We combine parametric design, material research and real-time sun tracking to create spaces that stay cool, glare-free and impossibly photogenic — without overusing AC or curtains.

Our mantra: no dark boxes, no glass saunas. Only calibrated light. We audit your sun path, wind, and glare hours, then prototype fins, screens, membranes and pergolas in our lab before anything touches your site.

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Physics-first design
Every project starts with 8760-hour solar simulation, not moodboards.

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Zero-motor kinetics
Shape-memory alloys and bimetals that move with heat — no electricity.

⬣

Circular materials
Recycled aluminium, FSC wood, ETFE and textile that lasts 25 years.

Our systems Read research

SHADION daylight laboratory testing shade prototypes

SHADION designers working on parametric shading model

9.4

Average daylight autonomy after SHADION retrofit
Measured across 87 offices in 2023-2025. Less artificial light, happier people.

02 — What we build

Systems that tame the sun

Four product families, infinite configurations. All simulated, prototyped and installed by one team.

Parametric pergola with patterned shadow

Parametric Pergolas

Algorithm-generated roofs for villas, restaurants and schools. Laser-cut patterns cast artful shadows that shift hourly. Rain-proof, app-controlled, installs in 3 days.

from $189/m² • 25yr warranty

Kinetic facade modules on modern building

Kinetic Facades

Responsive skins for offices and towers. 1,200+ fins that open/close with temperature. Cuts solar gain by 38-52% and kills glare without blinds.

BREEAM + LEED points included

Interior daylight diffuser and light shelf

Daylight Interiors

Light shelves, micro-louvers and holographic films that push daylight 12m deep. No more dark corridors. Circadian-friendly 4000K feel all day.

+31% productivity in tests

☀ Shade Audit 360°

Drone scan + solar model + thermal imaging of your home or office. You get a 28-page report: where heat enters, what to shade first, ROI in months. Free for projects over 200m² in 2026.

Book audit

Why SHADION vs blinds?

Blinds block view and trap heat behind glass. Our exterior systems stop 82% of heat before it hits glass, keep the view, and look like art. Payback 2.4 years average.

82%
heat blocked

2.4y
payback

0
motors needed

03 — Selected works

Buildings that play with shadow

Start your project →

Villa — Dubai

Dune House

78 rotating fins follow the sun. Interior 7°C cooler, no curtains.

Public — Porto

Light Library

3,000 perforated panels spell poems in shadow at noon.

Office — Warsaw

Nord Cloud HQ

Full retrofit: -41% cooling bill, WELL Gold certified.

Courtyard restaurant with textile shade sails

Hospitality — Kyoto

Sail Courtyard

Textile sails + misting = 5°C cooler terrace, full year use.

04 — How we work

From sun-path to shade in 5 steps

Transparent, fast, measurable. You see light simulations before you pay for metal.

Scan

Drone + LiDAR + 8760h sun model of your site. 48 hours.

Simulate

We test 30+ fin geometries for lux, glare and heat. You pick vibe.

Prototype

1:1 mockup in our lab. Touch it, photograph shadows.

Build & Care

Install in days, monitor via sensors, 25-year maintenance.

“Our office went from oven to gallery. SHADION cut AC by half and the facade is now our logo.”

— Marta K., Nord Cloud HQ ★★★★★

“Guests photograph the pergola shadows more than the food. Reservation +34% in summer.”

— Yuki T., Sail Courtyard ★★★★★

“The audit alone saved us €18k. They showed exactly which windows to shade first.”

— Diogo P., Villa Luz ★★★★★

05 — SHADION Journal

News, tests & shadow theory

Research notes from our lab. Click any story to read the full article — each opens as its own page.