IRIDESCENT CONCRETE ​​​​

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A table of Iridescent Concrete tiles changes color as it responds to the movement of the Sun and clouds in this unedited timelapse video.

​Developed independently by Vijay Rajkumar while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

 

This material research utilizes structural coloration to manipulate light at the micron level, giving ordinary cement iridescent properties without the use of films, pigments, or chemical additives. Inspired by the nano-scale architectures of butterfly wings, the color-changing quality is derived entirely from the dynamic physical interaction between structure and light.

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An initial installation of these tiles was commissioned and exhibited at MIT.nano. 

 

This foundational material research now informs the physical and optical fabrication practices of Iridescence Research Lab (IRL).​