RG1 Radiant Heated Glass Furniture by Fisher ARCHitecture

This is the prototype of what the Fisher ARCHitecture team believes to be the world’s first radiant heated glass chair, (patent pending) which we introduced to the public recently after more than three years of design.  Heating air is inefficient.  This battery-powered piece of radiant heated furniture, which can be used both indoors and out, uses astonishingly little energy yet effectively heats the human body even when the surrounding space is cool.

Here is a cool six minute video in which I describe our design process. And here is a link to the lecture text and images.

Our project team has designed and developed this concept with the assistance of noted Kittanning, PA glass manufacturer, Frank Dlubak, who developed the glass for the White House, the Statue of Liberty, and the Getty Museum.  Why glass?  According to Mr. Dlubak, glass is an ideal radiant chair material because it is:

“Clear, Moldable, Conductive, Colorful, Elegant, Inexpensive, Long-lasting, and GREEN!”

How does it work?  Similar to the back window of your car, thin wires radiate heat that heat the glass.  In a typical office environment the chair can be operated for less than $5 a month, using 80% less energy than a traditional space heater.  The chair materials are certified for safety by Intertek testing under UL 962 and CAS STDE60335-1/4E and are constructed using ANSI certified hurricane glass.

Although our initial suggested retail price for the chair will be $900.00, we are optimistic that the price will decrease significantly as production ramps up.  This price includes the batteries, still in engineering, which should power the chair for up to three hours.