In the history of technology, buildings can be viewed as direct descendants of clothing, as elaborate devices for personal protection (and personal expression). In a lineage diagram they would have developed from the coverings of plants or skins, and then in Semper’s view, the development of the first fabricated coverings, textiles of one kind or another, marked the beginning of architecture.
As devices for environmental conditioning, buildings have never been especially good. They can be pretty good at keeping out the rain and protecting the contents, but require lots of energy to heat and cool, and rarely produce conditions comfortable or desirable for everyone. Recent developments, such as underfloor air distribution and radiant cooling panels, have sought to focus more on the immediate environment of those using the building and less on conditioning the entire interior to the same, uniform conditions.
So why not personalize them further, allowing individuals to directly condition themselves or their own surroundings? Certainly people already use clothes for this purpose, bringing a sweater to an over cooled office, and crude mechanical devices are used this way as well, for example the radiant heaters humming away under desks in offices that are too cold. There is already a whole spectrum of such personal conditioning devices available or being developed, from the heated seats for automobiles used on cold climates and now cooled seats for the sticky undersides that automobile air conditioning can’t reach by blowing around cool air. Why don’t we have heated desks and cooled footstools in houses and offices? We have had personally adjustable “task” lighting forever, so why not “task” cooling or heating?
Imagine the possibilities, and how it would change our idea about buildings, which have never fully absorbed the massive conditioning systems jammed into every avaialble space since the mid-twentieth century. What better way to provide adjustable heating, cooling, ventilation, even lighting and sound. If the buildings were allowed to relax just a bit about the goal of perfect, temperate interior conditions, and could let the temperatures vary, they could be simpler, cheaper, and freer for the exploration of spatial and constructed experience, while the matter of comfort and sensation could be managed by modular, mobile, or portable devices managed directly by the people experiencing their effects.
Attached below is a initial list of such techniques already out there. Prepared by Jaime Lee as an independent study in 2007.
Personal Cooling Systems
Liquid-Based Systems:
Device/System: APECS (Aircrew Personal Environmental Control System)
User: Air Force Pilots
Date: 2000
Description:Due to the multiple layers of clothing and equipment that Air Force personnel must wear, personal cooling devices must be used to lower the risk of heat stress. APECS is a closed-circuit personal cooling system that uses thin tubes carrying cooled liquid. The tubes are embedded in a vest that is worn close to the skin. The vest can then be connected to the control systems on the aircraft in order to pump and cool the fluid. The temperature of the fluid is controlled by the individual wearing the vest.
Sources: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/NewsReleases/2000/00-30.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/about/Organizations/LifeSupport/current1.html
Device/System: Cool Head (Life Support Systems Inc.)
User: NASCAR Drivers
Date: 1987
Description:The inside of a NASCAR racecar often reach temperatures of over 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Such high temperatures are dangerous for drivers, as heat stress can lead to heat stroke or fatigue, or could cause their performance to decline. Because full-body suits or vests can be too bulky for the interior of a race car, a helmet was developed to cool the racer’s head. The helmet liner is embedded with tubes carrying cool liquid, and temperatures are controlled by the driver.
Source: http://technology.arc.nasa.gov/success/successfiles/Coolsuit_1987.pdf
Device/System: GameReady (CoolSystems)
User: Professional Athlete
Date: 2002
Description: The RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) is commonly encouraged for sports injuries; however, it can be difficult for the individual to administer the correct amount of cooling (ice) and compression. The GameReady system includes wraps designed for specific parts of the body which are connected to a portable control unit. Water is chilled in the control unit and pumped through a tube which flows into the wraps, enabling the injured body part to be cooled continuously. The system also includes cyclical compression.
Sources: http://www.gameready.com/
http://www.gameready.com/forYou/images/GRWhitePaper.pdf
http://technology.arc.nasa.gov/success/successfiles/GearingUpBigGame_2004.pdf
Device/System: Recharge (CoolSystems)
User: MS Patient, Athletes
Description: The Recharge system is geared towards the athlete who is overheated, or a person suffering from MS or other neurological disorders. Medical studies have shown that MS sufferers can get relief from personal cooling systems. The Recharge system consists of a hooded vest which is connected to a portable control unit. It is not specifically stated how the Recharge system works, but based on CoolSystems other product (GameReady), it is most likely that water is chilled in the control unit, then pumped into thin tubes which are embedded in the vest and hood.
Sources: http://technology.arc.nasa.gov/success/successfiles/GearingUpBigGame_2004.pdf
Device/System: Isopro (Life Enhancement Technologies)
User: Multipurpose (Military, Nuclear Power Personnel, HAZMAT/Bomb, NASCAR)
Description: A hooded vest system using tubes filled with chilled liquid, connected to a cooling source.
Source: http://www.2bcool.com/products.htm
Device/System: Isopro Mark I (Life Enhancement Technologies)
User: Clinical (Surgeons, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitiation)
Description: Similar to Isopro (above); can be connected to more than one user (each user has individual control).
Source: http://www.2bcool.com/products.htm
Device/System: LCWG (Liquid Cooling/Warming Garment)
User: NASA
Description: This system allows the wearer to heat or cool selected regions of the body instead of the entire body, and to experience both heating and cooling of different body regions simultaneously if desired. The system uses liquid-filled tubes. It has not yet been developed.
Source: http://www.techbriefs.com/content/view/269/34/
Additional Liquid Systems:
http://www.aspensystems.com/microclimate-systems.html
http://www.carltech.com/products/personal-cooling-systems/ctproduct.mmcs
http://www.corecool.com/index.html
http://www.wd.com/personal_tcs.htm
Liquid Cooling Systems Specifically for Soldiers in Iraq:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_1_93/ai_n6123797
http://www4.army.mil/news/article.php?story=8363
http://masshightech.bizjournals.com/masshightech/othercities/orlando/stories/2006/10/23/story12.html?b=1161576000%5E1362700
Personal Cooling Systems
Liquid-Based Systems:
Device/System: APECS (Aircrew Personal Environmental Control System)
User: Air Force Pilots
Date: 2000
Description: Due to the multiple layers of clothing and equipment that Air Force personnel must wear, personal cooling devices must be used to lower the risk of heat stress. APECS is a closed-circuit personal cooling system that uses thin tubes carrying cooled liquid. The tubes are embedded in a vest that is worn close to the skin. The vest can then be connected to the control systems on the aircraft in order to pump and cool the fluid. The temperature of the fluid is controlled by the individual wearing the vest.
Sources: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/NewsReleases/2000/00-30.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/about/Organizations/LifeSupport/current1.html
Device/System: Cool Head (Life Support Systems Inc.)
User: NASCAR Drivers
Date: 1987
Description: The inside of a NASCAR racecar often reach temperatures of over 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Such high temperatures are dangerous for drivers, as heat stress can lead to heat stroke or fatigue, or could cause their performance to decline. Because full-body suits or vests can be too bulky for the interior of a race car, a helmet was developed to cool the racer’s head. The helmet liner is embedded with tubes carrying cool liquid, and temperatures are controlled by the driver.
Source: http://technology.arc.nasa.gov/success/successfiles/Coolsuit_1987.pdf
Device/System: GameReady (CoolSystems)
User: Professional Athlete
Date: 2002
Description: The RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) is commonly encouraged for sports injuries; however, it can be difficult for the individual to administer the correct amount of cooling (ice) and compression. The GameReady system includes wraps designed for specific parts of the body which are connected to a portable control unit. Water is chilled in the control unit and pumped through a tube which flows into the wraps, enabling the injured body part to be cooled continuously. The system also includes cyclical compression.
Sources: http://www.gameready.com/
http://www.gameready.com/forYou/images/GRWhitePaper.pdf
http://technology.arc.nasa.gov/success/successfiles/GearingUpBigGame_2004.pdf
Device/System: Recharge (CoolSystems)
User: MS Patient, Athletes
Description: The Recharge system is geared towards the athlete who is overheated, or a person suffering from MS or other neurological disorders. Medical studies have shown that MS sufferers can get relief from personal cooling systems. The Recharge system consists of a hooded vest which is connected to a portable control unit. It is not specifically stated how the Recharge system works, but based on CoolSystems other product (GameReady), it is most likely that water is chilled in the control unit, then pumped into thin tubes which are embedded in the vest and hood.
Sources: http://technology.arc.nasa.gov/success/successfiles/GearingUpBigGame_2004.pdf
Device/System: Isopro (Life Enhancement Technologies)
User: Multipurpose (Military, Nuclear Power Personnel, HAZMAT/Bomb, NASCAR)
Description: A hooded vest system using tubes filled with chilled liquid, connected to a cooling source.
Source: http://www.2bcool.com/products.htm
Device/System: Isopro Mark I (Life Enhancement Technologies)
User: Clinical (Surgeons, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitiation)
Description: Similar to Isopro (above); can be connected to more than one user (each user has individual control).
Source: http://www.2bcool.com/products.htm
Device/System: LCWG (Liquid Cooling/Warming Garment)
User: NASA
Description: This system allows the wearer to heat or cool selected regions of the body instead of the entire body, and to experience both heating and cooling of different body regions simultaneously if desired. The system uses liquid-filled tubes. It has not yet been developed.
Source: http://www.techbriefs.com/content/view/269/34/
Additional Liquid Systems:
http://www.aspensystems.com/microclimate-systems.html
http://www.carltech.com/products/personal-cooling-systems/ctproduct.mmcs
http://www.corecool.com/index.html
http://www.wd.com/personal_tcs.htm
Liquid Cooling Systems Specifically for Soldiers in Iraq:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_1_93/ai_n6123797
http://www4.army.mil/news/article.php?story=8363
http://masshightech.bizjournals.com/masshightech/othercities/orlando/stories/2006/10/23/story12.html?b=1161576000%5E1362700
Air-Based Systems:
Device/System: Portable Personal Vortex Heating and Cooling Systems (Pelmar)
User: Industrial
Description:
This system uses a vest with embedded tubes carrying heated or chilled filtered compressed air. The tubes are located close to the skin to heat or cool the individual. The “vortex tube”, located on the vest’s belt, contains a heat exchange which separates the air into cold and hot airstreams. The “vortex tube” supplies hot or cool air to the vest and can be adjusted by the user.
Source: http://www.pelmareng.com/Personal_Cooling.html
http://www.pelmareng.com/pdf/vortec_products/Personal_Cooling.pdf
“Low-Technology” Systems (Ice, Evaporative, etc.):
Device/System: Cooltemp Vest (Life Enhancement Technologies)
User: Industrial Worker
Description: A short-term system. The vest has four removable ice panels which need to be re-frozen by placing in a freezer after each use.
Source: http://www.2bcool.com/products.htm
Device/System: Evaporative Cooling Vests and Headgear (Silver Eagle Outfitters)
User: MS patient (and multipurpose)
Description: A short-tern system. Vests, headgear, and blankets are made with a three-layer fabric consisting of an outer shell, core material with a mixture of hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers, and a water-resistant lining. The products need to be soaked for a few minutes to absorb water, then the wearing experiences cooling as the water in the vest evaporates.
Source:
http://www.silvereagleoutfitters.com/
Other Cooling Systems (Phase Change, Patented Technologies, etc.):
Device/System: CoreControl (Avacore)
User: Multipurpose (Athletic, Industrial, Firefighting, MS)
Description: Humans and other mammals have “radiators”, areas of the body which are designed to dissipate heat in order to remove excess heat from the body’s core. Human “radiators” include the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. The CoreControl system “enhances” heat dissipation through the hands and feet using a vacuum and temperature control to increase blood flow across those surfaces. It does not “cool” in the traditional sense; it simply allows for increased heat dissipation. (Patented: Technology not clear)
Source: http://www.avacore.com/default.html
Device/System: Suede Cooling Vest (First Line Technology)
User: Multipurpose (Police, Firefighting, HazMAT/Bomb, MS, Landscaping, Construction)
Description: The Suede Cooling Vest contains PCM (Phase Change Material) composed of 21 elements, each with an activation setpoint temperature of 82 degrees F. After the setpoint temperature has been reached, the material changes phase and begins to absorb heat. The material also stays at the setpoint temperature after it absorbs the heat. It lasts for 4 hours and is recharged simply by removing any heat sources from the vest and allowing the PCM to return to its original solid state.
Source: http://firstlinetechnology.com/coolingvest/
Device/System: Polar Products (Collars, Wraps, Vests)
User: Multipurpose (Landscaping, Cycling, Industrial, Firefighting, Construction, Racing, Soldiers, Boating)
Description: Polar Products contain a patented material (not phase change) which stays cool for 24 hours without refrigeration. Activated by soaking in water. (Patented: Technology not clear)
Source: http://www.polar-products.com/index.php
Device/System: Portable Personal Vortex Heating and Cooling Systems (Pelmar)
User: Industrial
Description: This system uses a vest with embedded tubes carrying heated or chilled filtered compressed air. The tubes are located close to the skin to heat or cool the individual. The “vortex tube”, located on the vest’s belt, contains a heat exchange which separates the air into cold and hot airstreams. The “vortex tube” supplies hot or cool air to the vest and can be adjusted by the user.
Source: http://www.pelmareng.com/Personal_Cooling.html
http://www.pelmareng.com/pdf/vortec_products/Personal_Cooling.pdf
“Low-Technology” Systems (Ice, Evaporative, etc.):
Device/System: Cooltemp Vest (Life Enhancement Technologies)
User: Industrial Worker
Description: A short-term system. The vest has four removable ice panels which need to be re-frozen by placing in a freezer after each use.
Source: http://www.2bcool.com/products.htm
Device/System: Evaporative Cooling Vests and Headgear (Silver Eagle Outfitters)
User: MS patient (and multipurpose)
Description: A short-tern system. Vests, headgear, and blankets are made with a three-layer fabric consisting of an outer shell, core material with a mixture of hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers, and a water-resistant lining. The products need to be soaked for a few minutes to absorb water, then the wearing experiences cooling as the water in the vest evaporates.
Source:
http://www.silvereagleoutfitters.com/
Other Cooling Systems (Phase Change, Patented Technologies, etc.):
Device/System: CoreControl (Avacore)
User: Multipurpose (Athletic, Industrial, Firefighting, MS)
Description: Humans and other mammals have “radiators”, areas of the body which are designed to dissipate heat in order to remove excess heat from the body’s core. Human “radiators” include the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. The CoreControl system “enhances” heat dissipation through the hands and feet using a vacuum and temperature control to increase blood flow across those surfaces. It does not “cool” in the traditional sense; it simply allows for increased heat dissipation. (Patented: Technology not clear)
Source: http://www.avacore.com/default.html
Device/System: Suede Cooling Vest (First Line Technology)
User: Multipurpose (Police, Firefighting, HazMAT/Bomb, MS, Landscaping, Construction)
Description: The Suede Cooling Vest contains PCM (Phase Change Material) composed of 21 elements, each with an activation setpoint temperature of 82 degrees F. After the setpoint temperature has been reached, the material changes phase and begins to absorb heat. The material also stays at the setpoint temperature after it absorbs the heat. It lasts for 4 hours and is recharged simply by removing any heat sources from the vest and allowing the PCM to return to its original solid state.
Source: http://firstlinetechnology.com/coolingvest/
Device/System: Polar Products (Collars, Wraps, Vests)
User: Multipurpose (Landscaping, Cycling, Industrial, Firefighting, Construction, Racing, Soldiers, Boating)
Description: Polar Products contain a patented material (not phase change) which stays cool for 24 hours without refrigeration. Activated by soaking in water. (Patented: Technology not clear)
Source: http://www.polar-products.com/index.php