Crystal Loop, 2017 – Thilo Frank x Phillip C. Reiner

36 tetrahedra, suspended individually, are arrayed along a Möbius strip to form a welcoming arch to the Rødovre Centrum. Sunlight plays across the ensemble, generating dynamic shadows and reflections that shift through the day and with the seasons. The tetrahedral forms trace out the continuous, single-sided loop of a Möbius strip: a path without end, with no inside or outside. The installation is part of the 'Art in Architecture' programme. An LED system illuminates the structure, responding both to the existing architecture and to the changing daylight conditions.

Research:
A parametrized Möbius strip orients 36 tetrahedra along the single-sided loop, ensuring no collisions. The size of the tetrahedra varies with local curvature and visual rhythm requirements. Each tetrahedron is positioned at a point along the Möbius strip, and oriented relative to the tangent of the strip at that point. Structural checks confirmed that the suspension loads and clearances were feasible within the constraints of the atrium.