NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Mediating Weathers - Nadya Volicer

RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

The Glass Block

Origins

The earliest patent for a hollow glass block was

filed in 1889 by Gustave Falconnier [1845-1913], an
engineer and architect from Nyon, Switzerland. At that
time other manufacturers were producing glass bricks
to be set into newly discovered reinforced concrete.
But Falconnier’s design had the advantage of the
sealed cavity providing thermal and sound barrier.
“By making such bricks or blocks hollow,
especially when they are made air-tight, they possess
several advantages over other materials, being cheap,
light, durable, and ornamental. Further, by reason of
their inclosing and confining air in a state of rest they
serve as non-conductors of heat,” (US Patent No.
402,073).

http://glassian.org/Falconnier/index.html
(images and text this page)

Falconnier’s Original Patent

 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

The Glass Block

Standards

In 1935, Corning Glassworks developed the

Corning-Steuben block, which combined industrial
glass production with Glasonnier’s hollow cavity to
produce the precursor to the ubiquitous glass block
we know today. This block consists of two moulded
halves of heat-proof glass with a hollow interior melted
together under high temperatures.
Pittsburgh Corning currently produces blocks
in varying patterns, degrees of transparency, and
thermal performance. Aside from various finishing
units, and one model whose increased depth allows
it to be placed into a double-wythe wall, the geometry
of the Pittsburgh Corning blocks are confined to a
square.

http://pittsburghcorning.com
Decora Thinline Glass Block (images and text this page)
RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

The Glass Block

Applications/Variations

Often associated with commercial buildings

of a certain era, architects have struggled to liberate
the glass block from this dated image. Despite this
challenge, architects continue to use the standard
glass block for contemporary and unexpected

http://japan-architects.com
applications.
Below right is a rendering of the interior of a
facade designed by artist Olafur Eliasson for the
Harpa Concert & Conference Centre in Reikjavik,
Iceland. The structure of the skin can be seen as
a customization of the ubiquitous glass block, the
geometry here reconfigured in reference to the basalt Crystal Brick, Atelier Tekuto
columns common on the island.

http://www.henninglarsen.com
http://pingmag.jp

Maison Hermès Tokyo, Renzo piano Harpa Concert & Conference Centre
 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

The Urban Naturist

Problems of Place

The Urban Naturist reluctantly dwells in the

city as his job, school or family requires, but he truly
longs to exist in harmony with nature. This includes
the desire to dispense with clothing in order to return
to a more natural state. The American writer Walt
Whitman describes it this way:

http://www.dl.ket.org
“Sweet, sane, still Nakedness in Nature! - ah if
poor, sick, prurient humanity in cities might really know
you once more! Is not nakedness indecent? No, not
inherently. It is your thought, your sophistication, your
fear, your respectability, that is indecent. There come Albrecht Durer, Adam & Eve, 1504
moods when these clothes of ours are not only too
irksome to wear, but are themselves indecent.”

Such a sentiment poses certain architectural

challenges for the Urban Naturist. By day, he seeks
access to sunlight and connection with the outdoors.
By night, he chooses to be free of the constraints of
city life while in the privacy of his own home. However,
due to the density in which many city dwellers find

http://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com
themselves, the Urban Naturist risks alienation, even
victimization, should he not draw his curtains tight
after dusk.

The plight of the Urban Naturist poses

opportunities to rethink transparency in the city
dweller’s home. How can the standard glass block be
modified to mediate these changing conditions?

Peter Cook, Instant City, 1968

RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

the Urban Naturist

Goals of Augmentation

Taking the standard glass block as a starting

http://karenswhimsy.com/tree-clipart.shtm
point, the following objectives were established in
order to accomodate the varying needs of the Urban
Naturist:

Optimize daylight
Meteorological adjustment for solar gain
Nightly conversion to privacy screen

Additional aims of the augmentation were that

the glass block be maintained as an autonomous object
that need only be “plugged in”. A wall configuration of Nature’s Solar Shade
these blocks is in the service of the inhabitant foremost,
but does not neglect its neighborhood presence. And
finally, the smart block should produce its own power July January Nightly
if at all possible.

Based upon these goals, it appeared that a

two-sided, multi-modal system would be necessary to
enable the block to adapt to these changing conditions.
On the one hand, the block should respond to the
environment during the day. But it must know that
when night falls, it should cater to the movements of
the inhabitant.

Degrees of Transparency
 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Foliage Block

Sensing and Actuating

When the sun is shining on a given block in

summer, the photocell will trigger the fan to turn on,
thus creating a flutter of leaves in order to filter the
direct sunlight and cast a dappled condition on the
interior. When out of direct sunlight, the fan will not be
triggered and an LED instead will illuminate the block.
On a sunny day, on a south facing wall, a wave of
fluttering leaves will track the sun’s path. In the winter,
the sun will not trigger the fans so as to allow as much
direct sunlight as possible to penetrate to the interior.

Nightmode tracks the movements of the Winter sun/no inhabitant

inhabitant rather than the sun. When a presence is
detected by a given block, the fans will be triggered
and the leaves will flutter. Where no presence is
detected, the LED will illuminate the block. From the
exterior, one would observe the movements of the
inhabitants as a fluttering of leaves tracking across the
surface of the wall.

Summer sun/Nighttime inhabitant

RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON
float damper=0.01;//factor by which to
multiply photocell reading to allow for
spring-like action in response time
float dampedValue;//the adjusted value
of the photocell reading
float average;//calibrated average of
the photocell
int threshold=100;//to give a cushion
to readings from the photocell
void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);//Begining Serial
Connection
pinMode(5,OUTPUT);//fan 1
pinMode(6,OUTPUT);//fan 2
pinMode(7,OUTPUT);//fan 3
pinMode(13,OUTPUT);//LED light
Serial.println(“System Ready”);
for (int i=0; i<20; i++){//
calibrating the photocell
average=average+analogRead(5);}
average=average/20;
Serial.println(average);
delay(1000);
JS NV
}
void loop(){
int in = analogRead(5);//reading the
photocell
dampedValue = dampedValue + (in-
dampedValue)*damper;
if(dampedValue>average+threshold)
digitalWrite(5,HIGH);//turn fan 1 on
else
digitalWrite(5,LOW);//turn fan 1 off
if(dampedValue>average+threshold)
digitalWrite(6,HIGH);//turn fan 2 on
else
digitalWrite(6,LOW);//turn fan 2 off
if(dampedValue>average+threshold)
digitalWrite(7,HIGH);//turn fan 3 on
else
digitalWrite(7,LOW);//turn fan 3 off
if(dampedValue<average+threshold)
digitalWrite(13,HIGH); //turn LED off
else
digitalWrite(13,LOW);//turn LED on
Serial.println(dampedValue);
}
NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

x3

x3

+
-

Arduino Day Mode Wiring Diagram

RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

Working Prototype

Process of Elimination

The greatest challenge in developing the

working prototype proved to be the kinetics,
specifically fluid dynamics, rather than issues with
the sensor communicating with the actuators. In a
sealed container it appeared a fan without intake or
outlet achieved a kind of stalemate equilibrium and
it proved difficult to achieve motion. Venting at the
top and bottom of the block was essential in creating
sufficient air flow. Even so, the minimal resistance of
the grate caused problems and many materials were
tested, including tissues, trace paper, Styrofoam, and
the bubbles from plastic packaging. Trial and Error
The addition of a screen covering the fan, while
adding unwanted wind resistance, proved necessary
for smaller items that would get lodged in and around
the fans. Plastic bags cut into small pieces, while
having the additional issue of static, were finally the
easiest to move with the given air flow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOyGhhEBEg4
Solution I involved attaching strips of plastic
bags to the plastic mesh covering the fans. This had
the unexpected effect of creating a kind of parachute in
which the plastic mesh was lifted up by the force of air
on the attached strips. The result was ironic as what
had proved most difficult was succeeding in lifting the
lightest of materials with the fans. The final solution
for this phase of the project was to cut the plastic bags
into the initially desired leaf shapes, and provided
there were not too many of the objects in the block,
they would indeed flutter around, as documented in
the Proof of Concept Video (link at right).
Solution I
Foliage Block
NV
JS
ON
MN
ZH
JD
FD
YB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO9p9xYot6c
RA
RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

Glass Block as Snow Globe

 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Glass Block Revisited

Mediating Weathers

In the initial study, a simulated nature was

brought into the cavity of the glass block in order to
mitigate solar gain and provide privacy as needed.
Substituting ‘weather’ for the leaves, one can imagine
various conditions within the block that might help to
mediate environmental conditions outside in order
to control the weather inside the house. In this way,
weather is used as a medium within the intermediate
zone of the exterior wall and establishes itself as a
third weather in the duality of interior/exterior.

Three weathers

Weather as Media Simulated Weather Mediated Interior

sunlight rain ventilation

exterior temperature fog thermal insulation
interior temperature wind rain control
humidity rainbow solar shading
precipitation ice daylighting
wind lightning
air pressure thunder
tornado
flood
RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

Off-the-Shelf Solar Shading

Fog Block

For the off-the-shelf version of this product,

http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov/media_04222009a.html
fog was adopted as the intermediate weather. The
parameters of its functions are similar to that of the
Foliage Block, but instead of leaves it relies upon mist
to serve as cloud cover to shield from solar gain and
provide privacy. Mainting the expected dimensions of
the ubiquitous glass block, this unit is designed for
plug and play capabilities and is hermetically sealed.
It is fully autonomous and is powered through a solar
pv film that continuously recharges a 24v battery.
In this way, Fog Block invites the weather into the
intermediate zone of the house and uses it to mediate
between the interior and exterior weathers.
Cloud Cover Cooling
Two photocells first determine whether the
interior or the exterior is brighter and based upon this
reading perform functions. If the outside is brighter,
but not too bright, an LED illuminates the cavity. If
there is direct sunlight on the block, a mister and a

http://www.geeksix.com/2010/02/superbabies-gone-wrong/
fan turn on, creating fog for the purposes of shading.
If the inside is brighter but nobody is sensed by an
infrared presence detector, the LED remains on. Once
a presence is detected, the mister and fan are again
triggered to created fog for the purposes of privacy.

Fogged Block
 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Fan & Relay Fogger 24V Power Supply LED IR DistanceSensor

Photocell & Resistor

+
-

Arduino Fog Block Wiring Diagram

RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

Scenario Flow

Conditional Commands and Code

int DifferenceThreshold=20; pinMode(Fan,OUTPUT);

int TooBrightThreshold=850; pinMode(Mist,OUTPUT);
int DisThreshold=150; pinMode(LED,OUTPUT);
}
int PCOut=0; void loop(){
int PCIn=0; PCOut=analogRead(PCOutPin);
int Dis=0; PCIn=analogRead(PCInPin);
Dis=analogRead(DisPin);
int PCOutPin=5;
int PCInPin=4; if(PCOut>PCIn+DifferenceThreshold){
int DisPin=3; OutBrighter();
int Fan=2; }
int Mist=3; else{
int LED=4; InBrighter();
void setup(){ }
Serial.begin(9600); Serial.println(PCOut);
 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Scenario Flow
Arduino Code cont.

Serial.println(PCIn);
Serial.println(Dis); void OutBrighter(){
Serial. if (PCOut>TooBrightThreshold){
println(“...................”); OutTooBright();
delay(1000); }
} else{
OutNotTooBright();
void InBrighter(){ }
if(Dis>DisThreshold){ }
InBrightwithSomebody();
} void OutTooBright(){
else{ Serial.println(“OUTBRIGHTER and
InBrightwithNobody(); TOOBRIGHT”);
} digitalWrite(Fan,HIGH);
} digitalWrite(Mist,HIGH);
digitalWrite(LED,LOW);
void InBrightwithSomebody(){ }
Serial.println(“InBRIGHTER But
SOMEBODY”); void OutNotTooBright(){
digitalWrite(Fan,HIGH); Serial.println(“OUTBRIGHTER But
digitalWrite(Mist,HIGH); Not TOOBRIGHT”);
digitalWrite(LED,LOW); digitalWrite(Fan,LOW);
} digitalWrite(Mist,LOW);
digitalWrite(LED,HIGH);
void InBrightwithNobody(){ }
Serial.println(“InBRIGHTER But
NOBODY”);
digitalWrite(Fan,LOW);
digitalWrite(Mist,LOW);
digitalWrite(LED,HIGH);

}
 RA
YB
FD
JD

Fog Block Prototype I

ZH
MN
ON
JS
NV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nTgtmoybt0
NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA
RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

EMBEDDED TECHNOLOGY PATENT [14]

FOG BLOCK(2010)
Patent Number: 1,234,567

Fig. 1 Fig. 2
( 5 4 ) Patent for “Fog
Block”
( 5 4 ) METHOD FOR MEDIATING SOLAR
GAIN WHILE MAINTAINING MAXIMUM
TRANSPARENCY AND PROVIDING PRIVACY
SCREEN AT NIGHT
( 7 6 ) Inventors: Nadya Volicer,
Nashid Nabian, Rodolph el-Khoury

60 Correspondence Address:
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
TEL: (617)257-8449
( 2 1 ) Initial Application: MIT,
Cambridge, MA USA
( 2 2 ) F i l e d ..............2010

Fig. 3
[23] ABSTRACT
By placing (60) a cloud inside of a glass
block, (61) direct sunlight can be mediated
by its mist; intermediate weather deflects
exterior weather creating interior weather.
How it works: photocells on both the
61
exterior and interior of the block sense
which side is receiving more light. If it is
the exterior, it is determined whether there
is direct sunlight or not. If direct
sunlight is present, a mister and fan are
activated, filling the block with fog, thus
providing solar shading. If there is no
direct sunlight, an LED offers simulated
sunlight. If it is determined that it is
brighter on the interior of the block, an
infrared sensor then determines whether
there is someone near to the block. If no
one is there, the block remains transparent.
If someone is there, the mister, fan, and LED
are activated, creating a privacy screen for
the inhabitant. Dimensions of the Fog Block
are compatible with the standard glass block
and it is self-powered by photovoltaic film
that stores energy in a rechargeable 24v
battery within the channel of the block.

1/2”
 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Fog Block

Photocell Fan LED PV cells on film 3”

IR sensor

8”
Fogger

8” 24V rechargeable battery PV cells on film

Fog Block Prototype II

 RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

Fog Block
Power

In order to maintain the Fog Block as an

http://dvice.com/archives/2010/03/take-a-look-tra.php
autonomous, plug and play buidling unit, new
technologies in photovoltaic energy generation and
storage will be utilized. Transparent solar panels
made up of tiny pv cells are embedded in a film that
can be merged with an exterior window. Because the
film is conductive, the cells need not follow the usual
grid pattern and new configurations can be envisioned.
Fog Block utilizes a Rhino Script to organize the pv
cells in a randomized pattern that favors obstructing
the mortar channel and interior hardware while
maintaining maximum transparency in the center of
the block.
Transparent Solar Panels
Option Explicit Dim y : y = 0 For z = 0 To (nColumns-1)

Sub Main Dim i, j ‘DRAW INITIAL POLYLINE

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’ GET THE INITIAL SURFACE Dim arrPt(401,401) ‘Define random number between (0,5) - random(0,5)

Dim strObject : strObject = Rhino.GetObject(“Select Dim arrParam(1) r=Rnd()*4

surface”, 8) Call Rhino.EnableRedraw (False) ‘r=rnd()*3+5

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’ GET THE NUMBER OF ROWS FOR THE ’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’ADD POINTS & TRANSLATE FROM If r>3 Then

SURFACE SURFACE DOMAIN TO CARTESIAN arrPolyline = Rhino.AddCircle3Pt

Dim nRows : nRows = Rhino.GetInteger(“Number COORDINATE POINTS (arrPt(w,z),arrPt(w+.5,z), arrPt(w+.5,z+.5))

of rows (density of pattern in x direction)”, 2, 2) For i = 0 To nRows End If

nRows = nRows - 1 arrParam(0) = U(0) + (((U(1) - U(0)) / nRows) * i) Next

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’ GET THE NUMBER OF COLUMNS FOR For j = 0 To nColumns Next

THE SURFACE arrParam(1) = V(0) + (((V(1) - V(0)) / nColumns) * j) Call Rhino.EnableRedraw (True)

Dim nColumns : nColumns = Rhino. arrPt(i,j) = Rhino.EvaluateSurface(strObject, End Sub

GetInteger(“Number of columns (density of pattern arrParam) Main

in y direction)”, 2, 2) Next Function random(low, up)

nColumns = nColumns - 1 Next Randomize

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’ GET THE SURFACE DOMAIN ‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’ADD THE CIRCLES random = (up - low) * Rnd + low

Dim U : U = Rhino.SurfaceDomain(strObject, 0) Dim arrPolyline End Function

Dim V : V = Rhino.SurfaceDomain(strObject, 1) Dim w, z, r

Dim x : x = 0 For w = 0 To (nRows-1)

 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Fog Block
Circuit

In an effort to dispense with the breadboard and

streamline the Fog Block prototype, a circuit board
was designed and cut from copper on the vinyl cutter.
The copper was then adhered to a piece of plexi and
pins were soldered individually to each junction. The
diagram below describes the paths of each device
through the circuit and back to Arduino.

Vinyl Cut Copper Circuit

Device ground input: fogger

Device pin input: fogger External power ground: fogger
Exterior power pin: fogger Device ground input: fan
Digital pin 3: fogger Device pin input: fan

Arduino power 5V
Device power 5V: photocell 1
Device power 5V: photocell 2
Arduino ground
Device power 5V: IR distance sensor

Device ground: photocell 1

Analog pin 4: photocell 1
Device ground: photocell 2
Analog pin 5: photocell 2
Device ground: IR sensor
Analog pin 3: IR sensor
Device ground: LED
Digital Pin 4: LED
Digital pin 2: fan
Device ground: IR sensor
Arduino ground Device ground: LED

Circuit Diagram
 RA
YB
FD
JD

Fog Block Prototype II

ZH
MN
ON
JS
NV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6T3N5bg8w
Fog Block Prototype II
NV
JS
ON
MN
ZH
JD
FD
YB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llitreQ9Uls
RA
RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV
NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA
 RA
YB
FD
JD
ZH
MN
ON
JS
NV

Glass Block as Double-skin Facade

http://eficienciaenergtica.blogspot.com/2007/10/double-skin-
faade-i.html
NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Adjusted for Wind

RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

Adjusted for Temperature

NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Adjusted for Solar Gain

RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

Compound Equation
 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Double-skin Glass Block

Precedents

Precedents for third weathers present in exisiting

http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov/media_04222009a.html
homes include the greenhouse, at right in the form
of a window box, and the sunroom, pictured below.
These spaces, not quite inside, not quite outside, can
be seen as intermediate zones in which third weathers
are fostered. What variations exists between the scale
of the block and that of the room? This project seeks
to rexamine such spaces in the design of a single
family home situated within the neighborhood fabric
of Cambridgeport, MA. An empty lot with optimum
orientation for interacting with sunlight and subject to
privacy concerns on street level was selected for the
next phase of the studio.
Window box greenhouse

http://www.geeksix.com/2010/02/superbabies-gone-wrong/
89 Brookline Street Sunroom
RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

Cambridgeport Neighborhood

89 Brookline Street
 NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Communicating Weather

Potential by-product

http://www.celebrateboston.com/strange/weather-beacon.htm
In addition to potential interaction with the

http://www.punchstock.com/asset_images/83913173
neighborhood through visual displays within the
facade of the house, the walls could also project
weather information to the community. Precedents for
this type of communication are readily available.

The Berkeley Building, also known as the Old

John Hancock Tower, is a 26-story building with a 65-
foot high mast and beacon on top. The beacon displays
bright red and blue lights that can be seen for miles
away on a clear evening. As well as forecasting the
weather, the beacon can be used to announce other
extreme conditions, such as the Red Sox winning the
World Series.
Old John Hancock Building, Boston
The Dexia Tower in Brussels can be seen
as another kind of weather beacon. In this case, all
145 metres of the tower are installed with computer
programmed LED lights. In 2007 the building was

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18838140@N07/2251646559/
used to forecast the weather to the public, though this

http://www.dexia-tower.com/index_e.php?file=dtb_now
was a temporary project and the illuminations have
been used towards other ends as well. Most recently,
on the building’s website, the following post can be
found:
“Due to the economic and financial crisis,
the lighting of the Dexia Tower has been drastically
reduced. Between sunset and midnight the tower
lights burn only 10 minutes per hour. No new lighting
project is planned.”

Dexia Tower, Brussels