I was intrigued by news of an exhibit being displayed this summer in the courtyard of the Long Island City museum. Wendy is a 56-foot wide, 45-foot tall spiky, blue starburst structure sprayed with pollution-fighting chemicals. It was conceived by New York-based architecture firm Hollwich Kushner and won MoMA PS1’s 13th-annual Young Architects Program, in which emerging architects are challenged to design a temporary outdoor installation that offers shade, seating and water while addressing environmental issues.
Wendy consists of a blue skin enclosed in a cube of scaffolding that covers some 5,000 square feet. Inside a DJ booth blasts music and eight 8-foot diameter AirGo fans mist water and circulate air. The fans come from Kentucky-based Big Ass Fans, renowned for making huge ceiling fans for industrial, agricultural, commercial and residential settings. These can be as wide as 24 feet in diameter, using low horsepower motors to generate energy-efficient air movement for large spaces, such as manufacturing plants, distribution centers, horse arenas, dairy barns, stadiums, art galleries, restaurants, health clubs, zoos and homes.
They’ve recently introduced the Haiku (see pic below) for residential spaces. They’re supposed to deliver an 80 per cent improvement in efficiency over conventional ceiling fans. Most residential ceiling fans require 90 to 100 watts of electrical power input but Haiku fans run on two to 30 watts. In a typical year Haiku would use about 50 kilowatt-hours, for a total cost of around $5.
Such a pretty fan – elegant, chic and efficient — and now confirmed by ENERGY STAR as the world’s most energy-efficient residential ceiling fan. It also boasts a silent motor, top-in-class airflow, quality craftsmanship and sleek design using sustainable bamboo, a notoriously difficult material to shape.
Controlled by a thin remote, Haiku has 10 speed settings, including a Whoosh mode to simulate natural variations in airflow and increasing the feeling of coolness by up to 40 percent. Haiku Bamboo is available in Caramel or Cocoa, with prices starting at US $995. A composite Haiku, which comes in black or white, is US$825. To order, call 1-877-326-0590 or go to HaikuFan.
