Human beings hate overheating. They also love saving money. Into this mix add a dash of stupidity and you have many millions of disasters waiting to happen in the form of hideously-installed air conditioning units, as seen below in a gallery that causes my tear ducts to slowly fill each and every time. Some of these hack-jobs simply look ghastly; others, more seriously, are also incredibly dangerous.
With the whole world being concerned about sustainability and getting more environmentally friendly, the air conditioning industry tries to develop new designs and technologies that would bring us a step closer towards making air conditioners more effective while having less impact on the environment.
Needless to say, it’s not an easy task to find the right balance. There are a few features every technician must consider: effectiveness, energy consumption, ecology, technology, affordability and design. When one of these factors is omitted, the air conditioner most likely won’t be successful on the market. 
Although the revolutionary technology is still in its infancy, there are some interesting concepts that deserve attention. For example, the futuristic looking tree-shaped air conditioning system. Its idea is quite simple yet effective. Basically it uses the ground heat and the Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system. The natural looking branches control the direction of airflow, spreading the filtered clean air within a wider range than with traditional air conditioners.
The next design is called “Fresco Di Lana” and it was developed by Laura Boffi. This air conditioning curtain is made from wool, which filters hot air and cools it as it enters the house. The water pump next to it keeps the curtain wet when desired, which supports its next function: an indoor vertical garden. It is meant to provide the perfect environmental conditions not only for you but also for plants you can grow in the ‘pockets’ of the wool.
One of the most futuristic designs was introduced in China and named Habitat 2020. This completely sustainable housing suggests dumping the old materials used for houses, and substituting them for highly sensitive skins that act as membranes between the outside and inside environment. So how will the air conditioning work in this case? Simply put, the outside air will enter the skin, travel through its numerous funnels, where it will be cooled, filtered and then evenly spread into the room. Moreover, the skin is also supposed to emit clean and CO2-free air from the building.
Last but not least is the simple design and compelling of H2O air conditioner that ended 3rd on the annual Panasonic Award. Who said that air conditioning can’t be a nice accessory for your house?
Imagine you were trapped in a small room with locked doors and no windows, what would you do? If you were in a movie you would just head for the ventilation duct, remove it with the tip of your fingernail, smoothly slide in the spacious vent that would accommodate a truck, and easily sort your way out of the ventilation ‘labyrinth’. After a few minutes and no sweat, you are out, neatly groomed and free to go wherever you want!
Action, adventure, horror or a comedy movie; all follow the same pattern of easy-to-do air duct escapes where the villain is utterly surprised by the foxiness of his hostages that just shimmy free through that oh so ambiguous air vent. You would have thought they’d have figured it out by now…
It seems so effortless and ingeniously simple. Want to get out of prison? Use the vent! Do you need to spy on somebody? Use the vent! Looking for a perfect hideout from your mother-in-law? Use the vent! However, how many times have you read in newspapers about someone escaping from a prison via a ventilation vent?
Ok, so there is just one real life incident when prisoners got out of Alcatraz by using the vent duct. Although it’s more of an exception that proves the rule, the scriptwriters hang to it like to the Holy Grail. It may be just their laziness or lack of creativity that forces our typical movie heroes to throw themselves into the strangely clean, shiny air vent over and over again.
Let’s have a look at the most famous vent scenes…
Die Hard
Who wouldn’t adore the superhuman strength of Bruce Willis in Die Hard, when he climbs up and fits his muscular body into a narrow ventilation vent polished better than a mirror in a luxury hotel suit? Although he gets really dirty in the end, which just adds to the American hero character.
Red Dwarf
Take for example the Red Dwarf. One whole episode (Duct Soup) takes place in ventilation ducts when the whole crew has to crawl through them in order to reach the engine room. Although some fans were pleased to see Kochanski, the attractive heroine, suggestively wiggling her way out of the endless corridors, it still was far from being realistic.
Mission Impossible
It’s true that Tom Cruise is a tiny man so the chances of him squeezing into the air ducts are slightly higher. Anyway, he does more impossible throughout the movie so the ventilation trick just blends in.
Fifth Element
Bruce Willis passes his air vent hobby with Milla Jovovich, the beautiful fairly dressed leading actress, who gracefully jumps to the ceiling duct just before the villain pierces it with loads of bullets.
Resident Evil
Surprise, surprise, Milla has taken a liking to hiding in vents! Anyway, it is a similar case as with Kochanski: good-looking girl sweating and crawling in a tiny space guarantees that majority of men audience will be glued to their TV sets. Nobody really minds that it’s not realistic at all.
Men in Black II
Air ducts have a real importance here as the alien worms used them to get to the power control of MIB headquarters. Sneaky, isn’t it?
So it looks like air vents have dominated the movie industry. Whether you mind it or not, there is one lesson you should take out of this: do not ever try to duplicate some scenes from these movies, you may kill or seriously hurt yourself (or somebody else). Why? Usually, real air ducts are much smaller than those in movies and are not designed to carry a weight of an average human body. So, even if you managed to stuff yourself into one (I would love to see that), you would probably end up falling down together with the whole air vent. So much for a silent escape…
Drop us a comment if you think we’ve missed off a Hollywood blockbuster that love a bit of air vent action…
As we specialise in air conditioning maintenance and even portable air conditioning, here are some tips for those looking into purchasing/hiring their first air conditioner, or for seasoned cool customers…
AIR CON EQUALS GOOD HEALTH
Invisible particles, pollen, and stale, languid air can make respiration more difficult, effectively reducing the amount of air inhale with each breath, leading to added stress on your respiratory system. A good air conditioning system can greatly enhance your air quality.
AIR CON CAN HELP YOUR BODY
The human body suffers when subjected to excessive temperatures, at either end of the scale. There are some real risks in hot temperature situations, notably dehydration, and you can burn up calories at a very high rate. If it’s too cold, the loss of heat makes your body work harder to maintain temperature levels, causing progressive loss of energy. Air conditioning gives you added control over these situations.
AIR CON ISN’T JUST A LUXURY COMFORT
The “comfort zone” is no myth. The temperatures at which you’re most comfortable are your environmental optimum range. People’s comfort zones tend to vary slightly, some preferring a little extra cool, some happier with a few degrees extra warmth. Comfort zones can be helped by air conditioning. You can customize your environment to suit your tastes, creating your own optimum conditions helping to reduce bodily stress.
For more information on air conditioning, head to Airconco.com. Whether you need one or 1,000 air conditioners delivered in just hours to your offices, shop, school or hotel – call us for a worry-free, competitive, tax-efficient and friendly service.
For most building developers and architects, air conditioning is more of a design hindrance than a blessing. Thousands of air conditioning units can mark the sides of a building, turning potentially beautiful condominium towers and office buildings into Lego brick constructions, all featuring boring beige boxes on every floor and balcony.
However, for some designers, air conditioning has become a powerful, unique, and visually appealing design element – providing an effective and also aesthetic air conditioning service. These two examples of innovative air conditioning design prove that there is design value in an air conditioning unit, no matter how beige, boxy, and uninspiring it is.
1. The Lloyds Building, London 
The Lloyds Building is an interesting piece of London’s architectural history, and one that’s drawn a lot of praise (and a lot of criticism) across its life. What makes the Lloyds Building so unique is its use of air conditioning ducts, stairs, and other building utilities. Once reserved for the inside of a building, the Lloyds Building uses them as a design element on the outside.
Interesting or just plain ugly? Most architectural critics are fans, citing the building’s innovative use of air conditioning as a major feature of London’s city skyline.
2. The HSBC Headquarters, Hong Kong
Hong Kong is the skyscraper capital of the world, and the giant HSBC Building certainly keeps up with its image. Constructed, like the Lloyds Building, with the air conditioning ducts on the outside, this innovative high-tech structure uses air conditioning as a major design feature. Love it or hate it, this cool construction method has drawn praise from architects and energy efficiency experts alike.
It’s that time of the year – lobster-red Brits are out in force in vest tops and cut-offs galore whilst foreign newcomers to our shores walk around in bemusement with scarves and three layers.
But more fool them – it’s time to embrace the rare sun that we have and, of course, keep cool while doing so. To their credit, Dyson have designed a funky product that does just that – showing that contemporary portable air conditioning is alive and well. 
The brand, renowned for their vacuum cleaners, launched a series of bladeless fans several months ago to provide a greener option in the air conditioning sector and a safer version of the traditional fan. It claims its specially developed technology generates a smooth, uninterrupted airflow without the buffeting of blade fans.
The bladeless Dyson air conditioning units have now become one of the UK’s hot sellers alongside barbecues and sun tan lotion.
With over 100 patents pending, the technology inside Dyson’s bladeless fans works by sucking up to 33 litres of air into the cyclone accelerator, in a similar way to a jet-engine or a turbo-charger in a car.
M&S reported a 300% surge in sales of the product as temperatures soared whilst a YouTube video showing the fan’s features has been inundated by fascinated fans, gaining over half a million hits.
Every driver has experienced the ‘car oven’ phenomenon. You set off to work on a warm day only to realise that your low-end car lacks air conditioning. Next time you find yourself caught out in an ageing or low-cost automobile, don’t despair. Now, off course we’re total buffs when it comes to air conditioning but although it’s mightily important on a grand scale, it isn’t actually the be-all and end-all. These three tactics can help you keep the car cool, crisp, and comfortable for your commute or long distance journey.
1. Crack your windows, and crank up the fan 
Fan systems are most effective when combined with a source of fresh, cool air. For most car owners, that means a slightly opened window. Don’t open it all the way if it’s warm outside – just crack the window and let a small amount of fresh air enter the car.
2. Store ice in the car
Unfortunately, it’s not quite as easy as popping down to the supermarket and dumping ice cubes in the car. By storing a container full of ice next to your car’s ventilation system, you’ll be able to cool and humidify the air without worrying about excess gas usage. This old-fashioned air conditioning method was popular in Arizona in the mid 20th century.
3. Apply window tints
Tinted windows don’t actively cool your car, but they do cut down on the amount of sunlight that can enter. By decreasing the transparency of your windows, you’ll let less light enter the car and quickly lower the overall temperature. Be careful – some country’s ban tinted windows, or apply limits to the transparency level of the glass.
And no air conditioning maintenance costs going forward…
From iPhones to Xboxes, today’s biggest technological innovations are equal parts slick, shiny, and stylish. Housed in brushed metal and packing some serious technological power under the hood, the most popular devices of the 2000s are design masterpieces, offering users not just function and performance, but immense style and fashion.
But technology hasn’t always been this way. Just ten years ago, the most successful and impressive pieces of technology weren’t boasting intuitive touchscreens or flashy brushed exteriors. Black plastic was the norm, wood panelling the standard, and analog dials the accepted method of user control and operation.
These eight pieces of retro technology and outdated innovation may not be slick and stylish, but all are unique and at least somewhat usable. From semi-portable VHS recorders to pre-electricity air conditioning systems, these eight pieces of technology wouldn’t stand a chance at a modern industry conference, but each was responsible for changing the world of invention in its own way.
1. German Rocket Bicycles
Source: http://tinyurl.com/35j65ty
Herr Richter was a true innovator. The German engineer dedicated years to his rocket obsession, attempting to create personal transporters, rocket-powered bicycles, and some truly explosive pieces of family transportation. Before the Second World War brought his engineering efforts to an end, the retro innovator had created his most famous prototype: a rocket-powered single speed bicycle.
As impressive as it may be, the rocket-powered bicycle was a true disaster for personal safety. Test rides – for which Richter was always in the saddle – found the bike to be reasonably stable before fifty miles per hour, and disastrously unsafe at any higher speeds. Compounding the bike’s problems were rocket fuel issues; early rockets were prone to accidental explosions, leaving riders scorched and the bicycle seriously damaged.
2. The Stylophone
Source: http://tinyurl.com/3y353ot
When Brian Jarvis invented the Stylophone in 1967, he never expected it to become a runaway cult success. Fueled by the popularity of David Bowie’s first recordings and immensely popular amongst hippie music groups, the device took off and sold out upon its release.
Unfortunately, its popularity was short-lived. The Stylophone fell out of favor in the early 1970s, living on through experimental rock recordings but failing to sell as it once did. A 2007 revival brought the device back into the public’s eye, although in a slightly different format; modern stylophones recreate sound digitally, rather than the original’s analog sound creation.
3. Arizona ‘Air Conditioning’
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2wectcv
Have you ever sat inside on a hot day, wondering how you’d survive without air conditioning? For residents of Arizona, the state’s gold rush days were marked by immense heat and few ways to keep cool. Ice fans melted too quickly in the summer heat, cold showers were an impossibility due to water shortages, and air conditioning had yet to be invented.
Residents fought the immense heat by dipping their nighttime sheets in cool water, sleeping through the night in damp cotton and enjoying relative comfort. The ‘wet blanket’ strategy also had some advantages for personal hygiene; insects and other desert creatures were unlikely to take up residence in a chilled piece of material, leaving residents free of bedbugs and other annoyances.
4. The Osborne 1 Computer
Source: http://tinyurl.com/32gwflb
The Osborne 1 was the world’s first ‘portable’ computer – a ten-kilo beast responsible for more back injuries and strained muscles than any other piece of PC technology. Priced at $1795 and boasting an impressive 64KB of RAM, the system was a relative bargain in the early days of computing, and a commercial success upon its release.
However, users debated the system’s portability, pointing to the 64KB specification as an indicator of weight rather than memory. While bulky, ugly, and barely usable next to today’s notebooks, the Osborne 1 was an innovative piece of technology for its time, and one of the most popular early computers.
5. The French ‘Strap-On’ Personal Helicopter
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2venvcj
Had this early piece of French air technology been a success, it would have gone down in history as one of the most unsafe inventions of all time. Luckily, this early single-person helicopter failed to fly, leaving the personal helicopter market unsaturated and French accident statistics at acceptable levels.
Due to is lack of torque bar and secondary rotor, it’s likely that a quick flight in this single-rotor machine would have left the pilot with a twisted spine. Early tests revealed that the machine was beyond hope, leaving personal helicopters almost completely untested until the late 20th century.
6. The Cyclogyro
Source: http://tinyurl.com/3889b5o
Luckily, this bizarre American invention never made it through early testing. Designed as a strange half-windmill half-plane contraption, the Cyclogyro was supposed to generate lift through a series of flywheels attached to each wing.
As many observers predicted, the Cyclogyro was completely unsuccessful. Early prototypes failed to make it into the air, often falling apart on the runway or failing to even distance themselves from the ground.
7. The JVC ‘Portable’ VHS Recorder
Source: http://tinyurl.com/397euen
Few decades have generated inventions as simultaneously important and ugly as the 1970s. This early JVC home video system was billed as a piece of portable technology, designed with intentions of allowing movie fans to share their collections with friends and enjoy the power of video wherever they may be.
Unfortunately, it didn’t quite succeed on the portability front. The JVC HR-4100′s considerable bulk and weight made it nearly impossible to carry, and the inclusion of a recording camera and headset made the device completely impractical for outdoor use. More popular today as a retrospective laugh than a piece of recording history, this early attempt at portable video was a complete failure.
8. The Vincent ‘Black Shadow’ Superbike
Source: http://tinyurl.com/36gwfp3
Unlike other early attempts at high-speed motorcycling, the Vincent Black Shadow was a true engineering triumph. Built around a 1000cc V-twin engine and boasting an at-the-time impressive power output of 55 horsepower, the Black Shadow was the world’s fasted bike upon its release, earning it the title of the world’s first superbike.
The Black Shadow’s 220km/h top speed may not be lightening quick by today’s standards, but the bike has lived on as an impressive piece of technology. Modern superbike manufacturers Triumph and Ducati still consider the Black Shadow a technological leader, building upon its V-twin engine design for their own high-speed sports models.
The US State of Hawaii is working toward installing a massive seawater air conditioning service system in Honolulu that would cut grid power consumption by 77 million kilowatt hours a year and eliminate the need to add 14 megawatts of peak capacity. Yep, sounds a bit like gobbledygook to us too but basically, this is a good thing.
It will also reduce sewage from conventional air conditioning cooling towers by 84 million gallons a year, as well as eliminating demand for 23,000 to 69,000 pounds of the chemicals employed in conventional chillers. 
With SWAC (Sea Water Air Conditioning), cold sea water is pumped from hundreds of feet below the surface to a cooling station on shore. This station transfers the salt water’s coldness to fresh water circulating in a closed loop that carries it to customer buildings. The cooling station ensures that sea water and fresh water never mix. Warmed sea water is returned to the ocean through another pipe and diffuser located at a shallower depth.
SWAC is nothing new, with successful initiatives installed in Toronto, Canada where a district cooling system uses cold water from Lake Ontario, and also at Cornell University in New York which is cooled with water from Lake Cayuga. Sweden is a world leader in SWAC development with numerous developments.
The project in Honolulu has been in development for six years, and roughly 80 percent of the design is complete. It will cost $245 million in total and is on schedule for a 2010 finish.
4. The 1995 Chicago City Heat Wave
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2wpkxhw
Chicago wasn’t the most desirable city in the mid-1990s. With its reputation damaged by crime and the economy still recovering from the early 1990s recession, the Windy City was far from ideal for most American residents. In mid-July, daytime temperatures soared from their relatively warm standard levels of 25ºC to over 40ºC, causing major problems for the city’s infrastructure and residents.
The problems were compounded by Chicago’s crime climate at the time. Residents without air conditioning refused to open their windows for fear of robberies and crime, while those with air conditioning were concerned about their power bill increasing. A total of 700 people were left dead or injured as a result of the heat wave – one of the worst natural events in recent US history.
5. The 2007 Asia-Wide Hot Cloud
Source: http://tinyurl.com/367mvz9
Hearing that India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar are warm is no surprise – their temperatures regularly exceed 35ºC, and residents treat is with little regard or surprise. However, hearing that temperatures have skyrocketed throughout Russiea the People’s Republic of China, and Korea would come as a shock to most, since those countries aren’t particularly well-known for their extreme heat.
Nevertheless, a large pocket of warm air crossed the Asian continent in 2007. Covering everything from New Delhi to Beijing, the huge burst of heat caused entire companies to shut down their operation and even the explosion of a fireworks factory in China’s capital, Beijing. While Southeast Asia escaped untouched by the heat wave, we can’t help but think residents wouldn’t have noticed – temperatures throughout the region tend to hover around 35ºC year-round.
6. Argentina’s Warmest Winter, 2009
Source: http://tinyurl.com/3ajjn7f
South America has a reputation as the world’s wildest and most exotic continent. While Argentina tends to excel in the more historic and traditional aspects of Latin culture, the giant country does offer a temperature that’s cause for envy. With year-round mediterranean weather in the capital and lush mountain scenery in the country’s souther regions, Argentina could be one of the world’s most varied climate zones.
However, its temperatures throughout winter 2009 were just one thing: consistently warm. Tanning fans will have enjoyed the boost in temperature, but many Buenos Aires residents objected to the extreme heat, opting to open windows or pump out cool air conditioned air to stay comfortable. The city rarely experiences any heat during winter, but 2009 saw highs of over 34ºC.
