3-sided :: potential scalar combination

individual tiles

tile array
4-sided :: potential scalar combination

individual tiles

tile array
5-sided :: no scaling :: emergent secondary shapes

primary tile secondary tiles

tile arrays
6 -sided :: potential scalar combination

individual tiles

tile array
7-sided :: no scaling :: emergent secondary shapes

primary tile secondary tile

tile array
8-sided :: no scaling :: emergent secondary shapes

primary tile secondary tile

tile arrays
6 -sided :: potential scalar combination

individual tiles

tile array
6 -sided :: emergent secondary shape

secondary tiles

tile array
6 -sided :: tile specificity

these highly specific tiles work in

ventilation conjunction with the heating
tiles and help to define the
micro-climate in temperature.

light/sound the instant technologies should

be able to follow a user very
specifically and are easiest to
deploy in the majority of tiles.

heating because of the square fotage of

effective radiant systems and the
time delay for heating, the
largest tile is best for this
technology
 http://www.effects.com.ph/cgi-bin/photogallery/display.asp?cat_id=2
haptic actuators:

http://rocky-mountain.siggraph.org/sigweb2/pages/%20etech%20
Fog and Steam Walls

These technologies are primarily being used by

theater and production companies for big performanc-
es. The effects are generally used in combination with
lighting to accentuate the depth or thicknes of the fog.
All of these actuators have proven to be safe enough
for deployment around huge crowds of people.
Very thin fog walls or ‘fog screens’ have recently
been pioneered as projection screens. These screens

fog%20wall.htm
have the effect of making images appear to float in
thin air, as the fog is barely visible where there is no
projection. It requires both electricity and pressurized
water flow to create the screen and a projector for the Fog Wall as a Barrier
images. A person can walk through the ‘screen’ and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfmSJQuhlk4&p
temporarily interrupt the projection, which will reas-
semle once the fog become stable again as a projec-

=2C537906E9D61284&playnext=1&index=25
tion surface.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iehOzdf4JPk
http://www.fogscreen.com/en/product/English/

Fog SCreen Displaying high-def images

haptic actuators:

Air Curtains

An air curtain is a device that is mounted above

a doorway and blows air down across the door, sepa-
rating the indoors from the outdoors, or one environ-
ment from another. It is designed to keep an indoor
controlled temperature inside of the building, saving
energy when anything from a customer to a tractor

http://www.berner.com/
trailer enters and exits the building.
This technology is used on a huge range of
scales, from industrial applications (up to 30ft tall) to
small retail applications such as a food refridgerator/
dispenser.
Air Curtain Principles

http://www.marsair.com/industrial.html
Common retail air curtain
haptic actuators:

http://www.ferret.com.au/c/Switches-Plus-Components/Switches-
Plus-Components-announce-NKWs-new-10mm-micro-axial-fan-
Micro-Fans

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the

‘Air Curtains’, micro-fans offer the possibility of a dif-
fused source of air-circulation and the potential to
evenly circulate radiant heat or cooling.
The micro -axial fan by SwitchesPlus is only
10mmx 10mmx 2mm, inaudible, and has an airflow
of 1.3l/min.

NKW32-n816051
the even smaller, Axial fan has a 6mm diameter
. these fans are being produced primarily for portable
electronic devices and are paired with heat sink tech-
nologies to transfer approximately 20% more heat.
the Stokes Institute that produced ths fan has investi- Micro-Fan options
gated both radial and axial flow geometries, aerodyna-
ics and fabrication at this micro-scale. Their products

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-products/elec-
http://www.stokes.ie/html/research/micromechanical/microfans.html

tro-mechanical/4089198/Micro-fan-touts-high-air-
are not simple ‘shrunken’ versions of larger fans, and
they suggest the potential to have specifically micro-
engineered fans embedded into larger systems.

flow-fast-speed
Alternate Micro-fans
haptic actuators:

Radiant Heating

Hydronic radiant floor heating systems use a

http://www.radiant-floor-heating.com/hydronic/
boiler to heat up hot water and a pump to circulate the
hot water in plastic pipes installed in a concrete slab.
The pipes, embedded in the floor, carry heated water
that conduct warmth to the surface of the floor where
it broadcasts energy to the room.
Separated radiant heat zones are typically con-
trolled by one thermostat and served by a manifold
which distributes the flow of warm water to the indi-
vidual circuits of tubing within each zone.
Hydronic heating offers heat that does not make
noise or give off uneven heat, as a forced air system SubFloor with Hydronic Radiant Heat
would. Again unlike forced air systems, the hydronic
system warms people and objects rather than just air
so one can leave the door ajar without worrying about
losing heat or becoming cold. On the downside, it is
not recommended the radiant system double-up for
cooling or cleaning the air the way a forced-air sys-
tem can. Although it depends on the application, is
it usually admitted that radiant heating systems are

http://www.a2energy.com/pages/radiant.php
20 to 40% more energy efficient than other heating
systems. Almost any typr of flooring can be installed
ontop of this system.
The main drawback is that this heating system
is not instantaneous.

Typical Installation Layers

 http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PassiveHouseInfo.html
haptic actuators:

Electric resistance heaters

This type of heating can be either very appro-

priately used, or very inefficient. In conjunction with
a well insulsated area, or a project such as a passive
house, this type f heater is super efficient because it

http://www.passive-house.co.uk/
does away with an HVAC system and its accompany-
ing inefficiencies. It heats small spaces quickly. And,
it directly heats people and objects, not the air.
this system can also be used in conjunction
with a raiant heating system. Here, it can ‘fine-tune’
the temperature in a local area and the radiant system
can maintain a threshold temperature. Also, this type
of heating can be used to super heat areas of raiant Ideal Passive House
pipe heating.
Ultimately, a thermoelectric heater is making
one more, and therefor inefficient conversion of en-
ergy. PLants generally use natural gas to generate
electricity and this, in turn, is converting that to heat.
Most homes, however, have a natural gas heating
system so this conversion is unnecessary. Coupled
with a pasive house or other super-insulation strategy
it can make sense to employ thermoelectrics as part
of a larger system.

typical Space Heater - ThermoElectric

MicroClimate :: Lighting
60degree light cone
MicroClimate :: Sound
90degree sound cone
MicroClimate :: Heat
Plan View :: MicroClimate Interaction

fast moving person

the microclimate of a
moving person will vaguely
anticipate their action. it will
also submit to other more
stable microclimates.

group of people
when people gather, their
microclimate is additive and
activates a much larger area
than either individual would.

stationary person
this person’s microclimate
will hold steady even with
the disturbance of a passing
person.
Plan View :: Interstitial MicroClimates
croC
croCl
oC
Cl

Overlap Zones
Here microclimates must act
according to the heirarchy of
space, in this case time-
occupation. the longer user
environment trumps a faster
environment. interference of the
microclimate indicates alternate
user presence.

Dissipation Zones
Embedded micro fans keep the
unused spaces working as
low-level HVAC and as a distur-
bance to micro-environment tails.
Superstudio

‘Fundamental Acts: Life, Supersurface’ 1972

the ceaseless application