US 12,435,889 B2
Facade system for thermally conditioning buildings
Ajla Aksamija, Hadley, MA (US); and Zlatan Aksamija, Hadley, MA (US)
Assigned to THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, Boston, MA (US)
Filed by The University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA (US)
Filed on Jul. 22, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/871,130.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/226,442, filed on Jul. 28, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0048762 A1, Feb. 16, 2023
Int. Cl. F24F 5/00 (2006.01); E04B 1/76 (2006.01); H02S 20/26 (2014.01); H10N 10/17 (2023.01)
CPC F24F 5/0042 (2013.01) [E04B 1/762 (2013.01); E04B 1/7654 (2013.01); F24F 5/0089 (2013.01); H02S 20/26 (2014.12); H10N 10/17 (2023.02)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An architectural structure, comprising:
a wall of a room of the architectural structure; and a panel integrated into the wall, wherein the panel comprises thermoelectric components (TECs) arranged as a TEC grid, thereby defining a radiant panel,
wherein: the TECs, of the TEC grid, are thermally coupled to a common heat sink formed in part by an exterior surface of the wall; and the wall defines a wall surface area, the panel defines a panel surface area, and the panel surface area is between 5% and 20% of the wall surface area,
wherein the wall defines a panel aperture, and the panel is disposed within the panel aperture, wherein the wall defines a wall interior surface and a wall exterior surface that are depthwise spaced apart from each other, wherein the panel defines a panel exterior surface and a panel interior surface that are depthwise spaced apart from each other,
wherein: the wall exterior and interior surfaces and the panel exterior and interior surfaces are parallel to each other; and the panel exterior surface is flush with, or continuous with, the wall exterior surface to define the common heat sink for the TEC grid, and
wherein:
a panel depth of the panel is greater than a wall depth of the wall so that the panel interior surface is depthwise spaced apart from the wall interior surface.