Fog Block

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NV JS ON MN ZH JD FD YB RA

Mediating Weathers - Nadya Volicer

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The Glass Block

Standards

In 1935, Corning Glassworks developed the

Corning-Steuben block, which combined industrial

glass production with Glasonniers 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 asquare.

Decora Thinline Glass Block

http://pittsburghcorning.com

(imagesandtextthispage)

RA YB FD JD ZH MN ON JS NV

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Crystal Brick, Atelier Tekuto

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

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

columns common on the island.

Harpa Concert & Conference CentreMaison Herms Tokyo, Renzo piano

http://japan-architects.com

http://www.he

nninglarsen.com

http://pingma

g.jp


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Albrecht Durer, Adam & Eve, 1504

Peter Cook, Instant City, 1968

http://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com

http://www.d

l.ket.org

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:

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

moods when these clothes of ours are not only tooirksome 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

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

dwellers home. How can the standard glass block be

modified to mediate these changing conditions?


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Natures Solar Shade

Degrees of Transparency

the Urban Naturist

Goals of Augmentation

Taking the standard glass block as a starting

point, the following objectives were established in

order to accomodate the varying needs of the Urban

Naturist:

Optimize daylightMeteorological 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

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

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.

July January Nightly

http://karenswhimsy.com

/tree-clipart.shtm


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Summer sun/Nighttime inhabitant

Winter sun/no inhabitant

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 suns 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

inhabitant rather than the sun. When a presence isdetected 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.


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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(13,OUTPUT);//LED light

Serial.println(System Ready);

for (int i=0; iaverage+threshold)

digitalWrite(5,HIGH);//turn fan 1 on

else

digitalWrite(5,LOW);//turn fan 1 off

if(dampedValue>average+threshold)


else


if(dampedValue>average+threshold)


else


if(dampedValue

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x3

x3

-

Arduino Day Mode Wiring Diagram


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Trial and Error

Solution I

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 andit 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.

The addition of a screen covering the fan, whileadding 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.

Solution I involved attaching strips of plastic

bags to the plastic mesh covering the fans. This hadthe 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). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOyGhhEBEg4


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Foliage Block

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO9p9x

Yot6c


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Glass Block as Snow Globe

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Fogged Blockhttp://www.geeksix.com/2010/02/superbab

ies-gone-wrong/

http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov/media_0

4222009a.htm

l

Off-the-Shelf Solar Shading

Fog Block

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

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.

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

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 againtriggered to created fog for the purposes of privacy.

Cloud Cover Cooling


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Fan & Relay Fogger 24V Power Supply LED IR DistanceSensor

Photocell & Resistor

Arduino Fog Block Wiring Diagram


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Scenario Flow

Conditional Commands and Code

int DifferenceThreshold=20;

int TooBrightThreshold=850;

int DisThreshold=150;

int PCOut=0;

int PCIn=0;

int Dis=0;

int PCOutPin=5;

int PCInPin=4;

int DisPin=3;

int Fan=2;

int Mist=3;

int LED=4;

void setup(){

Serial.begin(9600);

pinMode(Fan,OUTPUT);

pinMode(Mist,OUTPUT);

pinMode(LED,OUTPUT);

}

void loop(){

PCOut=analogRead(PCOutPin);

PCIn=analogRead(PCInPin);

Dis=analogRead(DisPin);

if(PCOut>PCIn+DifferenceThreshold){

OutBrighter();

}

else{

InBrighter();

}

Serial.println(PCOut);


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Scenario Flow

Arduino Code cont.

Serial.println(PCIn);

Serial.println(Dis);

Serial.

println(...................);

delay(1000);

}

void InBrighter(){

if(Dis>DisThreshold){

InBrightwithSomebody();

}

else{

InBrightwithNobody();

}

}

void InBrightwithSomebody(){

Serial.println(InBRIGHTER But

SOMEBODY);

digitalWrite(Fan,HIGH);

digitalWrite(Mist,HIGH);

digitalWrite(LED,LOW);

}

void InBrightwithNobody(){

Serial.println(InBRIGHTER But

NOBODY);

digitalWrite(Fan,LOW);

digitalWrite(Mist,LOW);

digitalWrite(LED,HIGH);

}

void OutBrighter(){

if (PCOut>TooBrightThreshold){

OutTooBright();

}

else{

OutNotTooBright();

}

}

void OutTooBright(){

Serial.println(OUTBRIGHTER and

TOOBRIGHT);

digitalWrite(Fan,HIGH);

digitalWrite(Mist,HIGH);

digitalWrite(LED,LOW);

}

void OutNotTooBright(){

Serial.println(OUTBRIGHTER But

Not TOOBRIGHT);

digitalWrite(Fan,LOW);

digitalWrite(Mist,LOW);digitalWrite(LED,HIGH);

}


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Fog Block Prototype Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nTgtm

oybt0


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EMBEDDED TECHNOLOGYMBEDDED TECHNOLOGY PATENTATENT[14]FOG BLOCK(2010)

Patent Number: 1,234,567

(54) Patent for FogBlock

(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

Correspondence Address:

77 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02139

TEL: (617)257-8449

(2 1) Initial Application: MIT,

Cambridge, MA USA

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

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

60

61

[23] ABSTRACT

(22) Filed..............2010

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Fig. 3


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Fog Block Prototype II

3PV cells on film

PV cells on film24V rechargeable battery

LEDFanPhotocell

IR sensor

Fogger

8

8

Fog Block


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http://dvice.com/archive

s/2010/03/take-a-look-tra.php

Fog Block

Power

In order to maintain the Fog Block as an

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.

Option Explicit

Sub Main

GET THE INITIAL SURFACE

Dim strObject : strObject = Rhino.GetObject(Select

surface, 8)

GET THE NUMBER OF ROWS FOR THE

SURFACE

Dim nRows : nRows = Rhino.GetInteger(Number

of rows (density of pattern in x direction), 2, 2)

nRows = nRows - 1

GET THE NUMBER OF COLUMNS FOR

THE SURFACE

Dim nColumns : nColumns = Rhino.

GetInteger(Number of columns (density of pattern

in y direction), 2, 2)

nColumns = nColumns - 1

GET THE SURFACE DOMAIN

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

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

Dim x : x = 0

Dim y : y = 0

Dim i, j

Dim arrPt(401,401)

Dim arrParam(1)

Call Rhino.EnableRedraw (False)

ADD POINTS & TRANSLATE FROM

SURFACE DOMAIN TO CARTESIAN

COORDINATE POINTS

For i = 0 To nRows

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

For j = 0 To nColumns

arrParam(1) = V(0) + (((V(1) - V(0)) / nColumns) * j)

arrPt(i,j) = Rhino.EvaluateSurface(strObject,

arrParam)

Next

Next

ADD THE CIRCLES

Dim arrPolyline

Dim w, z, r

For w = 0 To (nRows-1)

For z = 0 To (nColumns-1)

DRAW INITIAL POLYLINE

Define random number between (0,5) - random(0,5)

r=Rnd()*4

r=rnd()*3+5

If r>3 Then

arrPolyline = Rhino.AddCircle3Pt

(arrPt(w,z),arrPt(w+.5,z), arrPt(w+.5,z+.5))

End If

Next

Next

Call Rhino.EnableRedraw (True)

End Sub

Main

Function random(low, up)

Randomize

random = (up - low) * Rnd + low

End Function

Transparent Solar Panels


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Circuit Diagram

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 pin input: fogger

Device ground input: fogger

Device ground input: fan

Device pin input: fan

Arduino power 5V

Device ground: photocell 1Analog pin 4: photocell 1

Analog pin 5: photocell 2Device ground: IR sensor

Analog pin 3: IR sensorDevice ground: LED

Digital Pin 4: LED

Device ground: IR sensorDevice ground: LED

Device ground: photocell 2

Device power 5V: photocell 1

Device power 5V: photocell 2

Device power 5V: IR distance sensor

External power ground: fogger

Exterior power pin: fogger

Digital pin 3: fogger

Arduino ground

Arduino ground

Digital pin 2: fan


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Fog Block Prototype IIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6T3N

5bg8w


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Fog Block Prototype IIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llitreQ9

Uls


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Adjusted for Wind

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Adjusted for Temperature

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Adjusted for Solar Gain

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Compound Equation

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D G B

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Sunroom89 Brookline Streethttp://www.geeksix.com/2010/02/superbabies-gone-wrong/

http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov/media_0

4222009a.html

Double-skin Glass Block

Precedents

Precedents for third weathers present in exisiting

homes include the greenhouse, at right in the formof 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 fabricof 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


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Cambridgeport Neighborhood

89 Brookline Street


Communicating Weather

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Dexia Tower, Brussels

Old John Hancock Building, Boston

http://www.fl

ickr.com/photos/18838140@

N07/2251646559/

http://www.dexia-tower.com/index_e.php

?file=dtb_n

ow

http://www.punchstock

.com/asset_i

mages/83913173

http://www.celebrateboston.com/strange/weather-be

acon.h

tm

Communicating Weather

Potential by-product

In addition to potential interaction with the

neighborhood through visual displays within thefacade 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 displaysbright 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.

The Dexia Tower in Brussels can be seenas 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

used to forecast the weather to the public, though this

was a temporary project and the illuminations have

been used towards other ends as well. Most recently,

on the buildings 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.

Fog Block

Documents

Transcript of Fog Block