Up Close: Blue Room

The science behind absorbing radio waves in a Radio Anechoic Chamber dates back to World War II when it first helped planes absorb or scatter radar signals. Now the technology is used by the European Space Agency among others.

  • Words + Photography: Alastair Philip Wiper

This is the Radio Anechoic Chamber at Denmark’s Technical University. The blue spikes are filled with carbon powder that stop radio waves bouncing around the room, so that satellite antennas can be tested in an environment similar to space.

There are lots of these chambers around the world, and apparently they all used to be black. Then someone decided it was a bit depressing to work in a black room all day, so now all the rooms are blue. The professor in charge of the chamber has worked there for 12 years, and couldn’t really understand why I thought it was so cool. I am glad he decided to wear a blue shirt.

Alastair Philip Wiper is an industrial and architectural photographer based in Copenhagen

Article taken from

Issue 01
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