007 is not what comes to mind when I think of color White. But such is the state of affairs at DuPont. The need for White > White is a big market, a multi-billion dollar business. DuPont owns a large share of this market.
[Image Source: Nish Kothari]
I know white till I read “Stealing White”, an article in Bloomberg publication. Chinese company stealing White color IP from DuPont, a scene right out of a James Bond movie? How can anyone steal a color? I dig deeper.
DuPont uses titanium dioxide compound to create the whiteness. The IP sought after is the know-how of titanium dioxide extraction embedded from the rock. DuPont has mastered this extraction process. Most companies spend a fortune to research better extraction means. Stealing this IP secures a larger piece of the pie, big money.
Why it matters to me?
My interest lies in color White and its application in architecture. White buildings fascinate me. Few years ago I was designing a project in San Francisco. The building exterior was metal and glass. Our request for noble metal facade was rejected for budget reasons. Fair enough, we started exploring painted metal panels. After studying white terra-cotta buildings of San Francisco I am convinced: My building in its context wants to be a White building.
White terra-cotta is not the same as painted white metal panel. But I give it a try. All kinds of white metal panel samples are ordered. Selected pieces are hoisted up and studied. The problem: White is never White in daylight.
[Image Source: Nish Kothari]
The play of sunlight and overcast skies makes the white metal panel appear gray, shades of gray, uneven gray. The ever changing inconsistency in reflection is aesthetically disturbing.
I blame myself for not being able to find the right white. I abandon the search and settle for a silver painted metal panel. This upsets me. Seven years after I am still searching for my White.
What if the white metal panel had titanium dioxide compound? Would that make a difference? Does the chemical characteristic of white pigment make a difference? I do not know. I research more.
How does the flower Edelweiss stay White in daylight?
Edelweiss flower always appears white. How does the flower do it?
[Image Source: Nish Kothari]
Edelweiss is covered with thin hollow filaments that are covered with nanoparticle structures. Edelweiss grows at higher altitudes and is subjected to ultraviolet light. The nano-particles absorbs the ultraviolet light because of similar wavelengths and reflect all the visible light. This explains the white color of the flower.
I learn: Color has to be Structural, not Pigments. Structural color isn’t Chemical. It is tiny nano-particles like the ones found in Edelweiss flower. The trick is to fool the light and make it reflect the same color of the material. Structural color is at work in peacock feathers, fish scales, and beetle casings.
More Research
I understand the facts, now I need to learn how to make this happen for my future projects. How do I make a perfect structure for a color?
I travel to 16th-17th century AD. I visit Rembrandt’s studio in Amsterdam. I make my own colors Rembrandt whispers to me. My art shimmers. The secret is mixing the pigment with linseed oil, lead oxide and master resin. Cannot give away more, he quips, just about when I was going to probe him more on the color recipe. I try asking Johannes Vermeer, another painter. What makes the pearl glow in your work “The girl with the pearl earring”? I do not get a response. I cannot get more, so I travel back to 2016.
[Image Source: Nish Kothari]
I discover the works of contemporary painter Kate Nicholas. Like Rembrandt and Johannes, Kate makes her own colors. The difference, Kate understands nanostructure and its impact on light and reflectivity. Kate shares her process of making structural colors in the link below.
[Image Source: Kate Nichols, http://www.katenicholsstudio.com/]
I get it now. In addition to searching a white painted metal panel, I should have done more scientific research on the making of color.
Architecture is Research. I have embedded this concept in my design process. Nano-structure particle White is still far away for architectural applications. But it will happen. For now, I am glad I found my White.
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