Materials gain and lose heat at different rates based on their specific compositions. For instance, on a sunny day concrete and land mass will heat up much faster than water. This happens because water has a much higher specific heat than concrete or soil. Differences in specific heats affect micro-climates within an urban environment such as San Francisco, where the city has such a close proximity to the surrounding bay.
The rise and fall of heat gain for specific materials creates a curve that can be used to design new and exciting forms of seating for the San Francisco Exploratorium.
CREDITS
Garrett Ryan Miller
in collaboration with Kyle Murphy, Sammy Chartock, and Pamela Pascual
Ergonomics of Space_holmes/jenkins
California College of the Arts_Spring 2012