Temperature control is a fine art: It's hard to appease everyone in your office, or even your home. But one thing that everyone could agree on: Getting stuck in one of those shiny NYC towers without any central heating or cooling would really suck—and maybe even kill you. The Wall Street Journal has published research on what would happen to Midtown Manhattan’s indoor temperatures during a blackout. The findings are scary, particularly during a heat wave, when the interiors of those glistening glass-shrouded structures could reach a peak of 102 degrees. This, of course, does not apply to all glass towers, as many take certain precautions with solar shading (especially those wanting their LEED badge), but it does highlight architects’ reliance on additional technology to overrule basic material properties. Not only is refraction through glass an ever-present concern, but so is that other fundamental quality: reflection. Although increased reflection can actually reduce indoor heat levels, it can also increase nuisance levels for neighboring buildings. We’re talking Archimedes and the Burning Mirror here. Although this property has the potential to be harnessed for productive means—such as concentrated solar power and brightening under-lit sites—the solar power that skyscrapers (and other shiny buildings) ...
Temperature control is a fine art: It's hard to appease everyone in your office, or even your home. But one thing that everyone could agree on: Getting stuck in one of those shiny NYC towers without any central heating or cooling would really suck—and maybe even kill you. The Wall Street Journal has published research on what would happen to Midtown Manhattan’s indoor temperatures during a blackout. The findings are scary, particularly during a heat wave, when the interiors of those glistening glass-shrouded structures could reach a peak of 102 degrees. This, of course, does not apply to all glass towers, as many take certain precautions with solar shading (especially those wanting their LEED badge), but it does highlight architects’ reliance on additional technology to overrule basic material properties. Not only is refraction through glass an ever-present concern, but so is that other fundamental quality: reflection. Although increased reflection can actually reduce indoor heat levels, it can also increase nuisance levels for neighboring buildings. We’re talking Archimedes and the Burning Mirror here. Although this property has the potential to be harnessed for productive means—such as concentrated solar power and brightening under-lit sites—the solar power that skyscrapers (and other shiny buildings) ...