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building babel
Guest
Re: Heated Bus Shelters
Duct tape.
Duct tape.
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jozl
Guest
I'm contemplating something more than just adding on to our existing infrastructure. For instance, cities in North African countries have been building their markets to offer protection from the heat of the sun for centuries. Granted it's much easier to build for shade than it is to build for warmth but the architecture is directly associated with the fact that it gets awfully hot in these outdoor markets and trade can't stop because of the heat. In London, because there is so much rain, the streets at pedestrian crossings are paved with a textured material that grips wet tires better than regular asphalt does. Meanwhile, we use the same materials to construct our streets and sidewalks as are used in Orlando or San Diego where there is no snow. It just seems we have an opportunity here to devise materials and methods that could help mitigate the effects of winter on our outdoor space.
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Chuck100
Guest
The only thing that I can think of is providing radiant heating underneath the sidewalks. In effect, heat the sidewalk to about 40 degrees celsius so that you can feel the heat on your face and hands as you walk above. This is a proven method of heating indoor spaces, though you can imagine how much energy it would require in a large scale outdoor application.
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wyliepoon
Guest
How about removing all the sidewalk paving downtown with grates, connected to subway and PATH ventilation shafts? It'll make the sidewalk warm in winter by allowing pedestrians to share heat with the tunnels, but it'll make the downtown look pretty ugly! 
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afransen TO
Guest
You could cover a pedestrianised street with a glass structure fairly easily. Heating it wouldn't be a huge deal either, if there was a continuous streetwall running along both sides. It really wouldn't be that expensive, and it could be a really nice civic amenity. You could easily grow palms, have gardens in continuous bloom, etc. It would probably help retail in the area for people to have a place to go that feels somewhat like being outside and yet warm on those chilly January days. Basically, think Eaton's centre galleria without mall cheesyness.
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wyliepoon
Guest
Yet another example from Japan... Shinsainbashi shopping street in Osaka.
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jozl
Guest
The examples from Japan are interesting. I noticed several types of mews and traffic free streets on my last visit to London that offered some shelter and a sense of warmth as well.
On a more fundamental level, I've been kicking around some ideas for new building materials and methods. For example: I wonder if there's a way to harness the energy that courses along our sidewalks and streets every day but is never used, except to wear out our shoes and the tires of our cars and trucks? Consider the energy in all the of thousands of tons of weight and friction that pass from our feet and vehicles each hour, each day to streets and sidewalks that essentially goes wasted. My feet hurt just thinking about it. Now what if it were possible to manufacture a tiled matrix, a kind of mat that was made to resemble a mosaic made up of tiny, closely inlayed tiles that jostle and move when weight is applied to them. I'm talking about a very slight, almost microscopic movement, just enough so the edges of the tiles bang against each other as well as the substrate they're attached to. Now what if the movement created by the weight (energy) passing over the surface of the tiles could be transformed into enough electrical energy to charge a series of batteries. If those mats could be applied to the surface of our streets and sidewalks – well, I think you can see where I'm going with this, the energy created by the traffic passing along the surface of the mat could be converted to heat to warm the sidewalks or light from LED street lamps or anything else you care to use it for. That way, after you get back from a long walk you know that the new blisters you got on your feet helped to keep the sidewalks you just tread on toasty warm. Obviously, the most dynamic movement and resulting energy surge would come from cars passing over the street surface.
I'm a graphic designer, not an electrical or chemical engineer. So maybe my little pipe dream isn't feasible. If there's anyone in this forum that knows anything about engineering I'd love to read your thoughts on this.
On a more fundamental level, I've been kicking around some ideas for new building materials and methods. For example: I wonder if there's a way to harness the energy that courses along our sidewalks and streets every day but is never used, except to wear out our shoes and the tires of our cars and trucks? Consider the energy in all the of thousands of tons of weight and friction that pass from our feet and vehicles each hour, each day to streets and sidewalks that essentially goes wasted. My feet hurt just thinking about it. Now what if it were possible to manufacture a tiled matrix, a kind of mat that was made to resemble a mosaic made up of tiny, closely inlayed tiles that jostle and move when weight is applied to them. I'm talking about a very slight, almost microscopic movement, just enough so the edges of the tiles bang against each other as well as the substrate they're attached to. Now what if the movement created by the weight (energy) passing over the surface of the tiles could be transformed into enough electrical energy to charge a series of batteries. If those mats could be applied to the surface of our streets and sidewalks – well, I think you can see where I'm going with this, the energy created by the traffic passing along the surface of the mat could be converted to heat to warm the sidewalks or light from LED street lamps or anything else you care to use it for. That way, after you get back from a long walk you know that the new blisters you got on your feet helped to keep the sidewalks you just tread on toasty warm. Obviously, the most dynamic movement and resulting energy surge would come from cars passing over the street surface.
I'm a graphic designer, not an electrical or chemical engineer. So maybe my little pipe dream isn't feasible. If there's anyone in this forum that knows anything about engineering I'd love to read your thoughts on this.
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samsonyuen
Guest
I don't know, I don't think it's that bad in Toronto during winter. It could be worse (like Winterpeg or Ottawa).
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Danny225
Guest
jozl that sounds really interesting... I'm sure it'll be really expensive...
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bizorky
Guest
Hey! I like that idea. What would be some of the event/attractions?
Slush sculptures?
Slush spraying contests?
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Abeja de Almirante
Guest
"How about removing all the sidewalk paving downtown with grates, connected to subway and PATH ventilation shafts?"
My keys! My heels!
My keys! My heels!
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livesquid
Guest
And slush sculptures.
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building babel
Guest
... and tourists would sip Slush Puppies in Dundas Square as the annual Running Of The Slush festival took place - large garbage trucks roaring up Yonge Street close to the sidewalk, sending up huge sprays of slush as young men tried to outrun them.
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Ed007Toronto
Guest
lol
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samsonyuen
Guest
Another example of not having cold-weather planning is York University. My sister, who went there, told me that it was modeled after a university campus in California. However, anyone that's been there in winter can talk about the gigantic wind tunnels that are there...