1. The Hot Plate

The Hot Plate is a plaza comprising two horizontal surfaces that form a three-dimensional Geographical Information System raster map. Pivoting panels and red to cyan florescent lighting display in binary code the "gorgeous mosaic" of the Queens ethnoscapes - the social and cultural rhythms of the borough. The convergence of Northern and Boulevard at Queens Plaza is reorganizing to form a # square foot pedestrian plaza. Commuting traffic is prioritized; cross-plaza local traffic is limited to the perimeter and left turns from the Queensborough Bridge are routed around the Midtown East redevelopment site. The plaza itself is a "smart" surface roofing an underground parking deck. A gridded trellis of moving panels provides weather protection.

Input devices for the Hot Plate smart surface and trellis include:

- Subway security systems, bio-metrics, video cameras, motion detectors and face recognition systems
- Fire, Police and Private security alarms
- Museums, galleries, libraries, performing arts centers nearby
- Media and New services
- Government information, elections, referendums, etc.
- Demographics, INS/census info
- Recreation activities: sports, parks
- communication activity from TV and radio broadcasts
- telephone, internet cell phone
- individual human input, on site and on line