Architecture

More Sky would let you catch some rays indoors

More Sky would let you catch some rays indoors
More Sky is the work of Brooklyn-based designer and architect Aldana Ferrer Garcia
More Sky is the work of Brooklyn-based designer and architect Aldana Ferrer Garcia
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Though only a concept, More Sky would be built from wood, comprise a window frame and seat
1/5
Though only a concept, More Sky would be built from wood, comprise a window frame and seat
It would extend to allow the user to recline backwards and catch some rays
2/5
It would extend to allow the user to recline backwards and catch some rays
It could be adapted to several window types, and conceivably be retrofitted to existing window frames
3/5
It could be adapted to several window types, and conceivably be retrofitted to existing window frames
More Sky is the work of Brooklyn-based designer and architect Aldana Ferrer Garcia
4/5
More Sky is the work of Brooklyn-based designer and architect Aldana Ferrer Garcia
More Sky was designed for a thesis and is thus unlikely to be realized
5/5
More Sky was designed for a thesis and is thus unlikely to be realized
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Gardens and balconies can be hard to come by in many apartment blocks, but Aldana Ferrer Garcia has designed an extending window frame that would offer users a way to catch some rays while remaining inside.

Though only a concept, More Sky is envisioned as being built from wood and comprises a frame, several sections of glass, and a padded seat. Garcia also says it could be retrofitted to several window frame types.

The most interesting of the three styles of frame conceived by the Brooklyn-based designer and architect would allow the user to recline and hang out over the side of the building. Not an idea best-suited to people afraid of heights, then, but potentially appealing for those looking to naturally increase their Vitamin D intake.

More Sky was designed for a thesis and is thus unlikely to be realized
More Sky was designed for a thesis and is thus unlikely to be realized

"More Sky is a cozy corner for the home that provides visual relief, access to sunlight and fresh air for small apartments," says Garcia. "As an attempt to understand the threshold between ID and architecture, this project is conceived as an object and a space at the same time, responding to current needs in densely populated cities."

Garcia created More Sky as part of a thesis. Though we've had no direct confirmation from the designer herself, we'd hazard a guess that it will remain on the drawing board for the immediate future. That said, one could certainly imagine it being used in a high-end apartment, and the idea also has just the right mix of quirkiness and utility to appeal to the small living movement.

Source: Aldana Ferrer Garcia via Contemporist

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8 comments
8 comments
Alien
Now imagine if the glass in the final pane could be 'switched' using a small electrical current so that it became reflective. Then how much extra light could be captured in the room without the need to 'hang out' for a bit of sunlight.
Jugen
Would it really let more light in? The window's aperture is what determines how much light enters a room. Extending the surface area of the glass doesn't let in extra light as the aperture into the room stays the same. The extra framing needed would actually reduce the amount of light. Plus the additional complexity of the window and increase in glass surface makes the window a better conductor of heat thus cost more in heating.
Mindbreaker
What could possibly go wrong? People collapse into couches all the time even tipping them, especially teens.
Secondly, most glass blocks the ultraviolet rays that would elicit the production of vitamin D.
Thirdly, vitamin D is cheap...very cheap. You want natural? Eat some tuna or sardines.
Fourthly, not everyone below will be keen to see everyone above's plumber's crack.
And fifthly, instillation liability would be a nightmare. Building owners are not going to allow these things, they could loose their insurance. Construction companies would not want to put these in, for fear that some small mistake could lead to this thing separating from the wall and someone plunging to their death...and being sued.
Bob Flint
Bad enough that screens keep getting pushed out, and some innocent child falls to their death. Let's make it more dangerous and encourage stupidity...
Leaks alone will rot this and the wall to it's end, not to mention take the user down forevermore...
Fretting Freddy the Ferret pressing the Fret
I agree that the UV-rays will be absorbed by the glass before it can hit your skin. Don't be surprised if you don't get a tan out of this idea.
reasonablyskeptical
Wow. Why so negative? Although highly impractical, the article does state that this is a concept used as part of a thesis and that it is not intended to be built. The designer/architect does not claim to be an engineer nor building contractor and obviously has no firsthand knowledge of real windows or building codes, liability, manufacturing, strength of materials, cost/benefit analysis or anything else really. Professionals in these fields would immediately see the folly in the claims of increased light, vitamin-D, utility, etc but the "quirkiness" will undoubtedly attract attention from those who don't know any better. I bet there's a long list of purchasers saying "shut up and take my money" and the designer is seriously considering venture capital or a kickstarter campaign to build some prototypes.
CGPando
It is nice but a very old idea. It was patented in 1922 in the USA. See a couple of examples here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2178140/Baby-taking-room-Try-solution-1930s--window-CAGE-hanging-air-infant-crawl-in.html
StWils
Apparently, all the really good ideas for windows are taken already. Aside from the stunningly obvious dangerous elements here try thinking of this window bump out as a range extender. For Pidgeons, Skyrats, or any other bird that dumps on take off. It is amazing that someone from Brooklyn would not have thought of this issue first, herself. Typically, New Yorkers learn from an early age not to look up when one hears wings flapping above.