The Urban Myth (Shintoism Update)

- Manifesto

First off, I would like to address that this is a brief summary of the manifesto which will soon be in a much greater detail, diving into all of the researches and relating every bit to the entire project. 

(This part will be added shortly)

- Energy Harvesting

As of right now, the form of energy harvesting can be divided into 3 forms "scientifically" which is harvesting from light, thermostatic, and a form of vibration. Vibration can be then divided into 3 other sub-categories electrostatic, electromagnetic and piezoelectric. These energy can be seen two ways in the site :

1. Constant Energy (or an involuntary energy)

Having a constant energy feeding the site is important because to keep the site activated requires plenty of energy and it is better to have these energy stored than to be activated only through a voluntary or optional action.

diagram showing how piezoelectric panel works

- Piezoelectric panels installed on the ground : Plenty of people walk through the site all day, with the help of Man Mo temple being a tourist spot. A piezoelectric panels can be installed along the path to collect all the energy needed to keep the site alive.

Energy conversion : To give a little bit of idea, let's compare the amount of footsteps to what we're familiar to.

1 footstep can provide enough electrical current to light two 60-watt LED bulbs for 1 second

20,000 footsteps (approximately) can power the skytrain for 1 second (source : ScienceMonitor)

The amount of human flow rate (assuming 1 person can complete walking through the site in 1 minute and that there's at least 1 new person every minute) The information is derived from deep observation at the site:

People in the morning (9:00 - 12:00) : 30 people / minute

People in the afternoon (12:00 - 15:00) : 40 people / minute

(Notice how more people are walking up than down because of the temple)

People in the evening (16:00 - 19:00) : 10 people / minute

(the amount of people drop drastically after the temple closed)

People at night (20:00 - 23:00) : 2 people / minute

People at dawn (4:00 - 7:00) : 4 people / minute

The amount of footsteps to complete the site (assuming 1 footstep covers 1 meter in x axis direction and 1 stair rise) = 113

That means that on the range of 3 hours in the afternoon we can gather as much as 813,600 footsteps, enough to light an LED bulb for 226 hours.

2. Energy generated from voluntary action

At various points in the site, people can choose to interact with an object as a form of donation to a specific god of their choice.

Heat is represented by Amaterasu (the sun god) : a heat absorption device will be installed on the bench so that excess body heat of user will be absorbed and converted into electrical power, while the chair is not being used, it will also collect solar power

Electricity is represented by Raijin (the lightning god) : a nice video at http://humanbatteries.com/ will explain the use of electrostatic rubbing. On electrical street elements such as the light pole or electrical pole, a device that requires rubbing will be installed so that users can rub

Other elements (such as water, earth or wind) are on the process of being researched for practical application

- Sound

I tried to compose how the space will sound like when all the street furnitures are being harmonized based on an inspiration from the Shinto ceremonial music. Various sound clips are composed so that it resembles and captures the essence of the originality of the music itself.

- Design

 

A simple design inspired by the Torii Gate is made into a scaffolding structure to mark the boundary of this sacred space and the street furniture. 

Overview of the Site in isometric

As explained in earlier blogging, the site will be divided into phases accordingly to the architectural arrangement of the Shinto temple and its area. 

1. Sacred / Profane Threshold
2. Purification / Cleansing
3. Main Shrine

Divided on the above rendering with the color of LED lights.

 Purification Chamber