AWARD YEAR
2015
CATEGORY
Home
GOALS
Responsible Consumption & Production
KEYWORDS
efficiency, interaction, energy
COUNTRY
United States of America
DESIGNED BY
MIT Senseable City Lab and Carlo Ratti Associati
WEBSITE
http://senseable.mit.edu/local-warming/
PERSONAL CLIMATES
Local Warming is a research project that dynamically controls highly localized heating.
In constant search for comfort, a staggering amount of energy is wasted in heating and cooling empty offices, homes and partially occupied buildings. Through two sister responsive installations, Personal Climates addresses the asymmetry in human presence and climate control by concentrating heating/cooling directly on people. Local Warming utilizes an array of dynamic heating lenses and motion tracking technology to create personalized bubbles of heat. Cloud Cast, on the contrary, uses digitally controlled hydro-valves and LED lights to surround visitors with a cooling bright mist. Individual thermal ‘clouds’ follow people through space, ensuring ubiquitous comfort while improving overall energy efficiency by orders of magnitude. An evolutionary inversion is completed: man no longer seeks comfort – comfort seeks man.