Planet and Place: addressing the cooling crunch without an energy/emissions crunch

Cooling and heating are more than half of energy used in buildings, and with the rapid growth of the global south it is projected that cooling will surpass heating as the dominant demand by mid-century. We must counteract this spiral of increasing electricity demand. Designing new systems that demonstrate alternative cooling solutions is critical to address global warming caused by global cooling. Building on several years of collaboration we developed the Hydroculus for Tuscon in the arid Southwest of the US as demonstrator of several advances. The dry climate enables evaporative cooling, which we leverage using a new hydrogel system with desiccant water recovery to minimize water losses. This is combined new systems of photonic materials and thermal mass to maximize radiant sky cooling.

People and Prosperity: cooling for people, not giant sealed buildings

The form of the Hydroculus strategically guides the flow of cool downdraft and orients cool radiant surfaces to create an interior, not separate from the outside, but that provides cooling to the occupant radiantly and evaporatively. The form is supported by an inexpensive wooden frame custom CNC'd out of wood, which has already been prototyped and tested this year. The spatial thermal programming provides new paradigms for access to cooling. Heat stress is a major environmental justice concern with the vast majority of victims being low income and/or from disadvantaged communities. Leveraging radiant heat transfer, which is more than half of heat experienced in the hot outdoors, the Hydroculus combines evaporative cooling with radiant surfaces to activate new accessible cooling modes.

Progress: thermal design for new expanding architectural experiences and education

The planned demonstration can easily be scaled and replicated. The first demonstration will take place adjacent to the architecture school at Arizona University, and we will use the pavilion as both technical and teaching tool. The Holcim Award would certainly enable further development and opportunities to scale up and explore other locations. There is no cost of facade insulation, glazing or sealing, and only minor pumping and basic controls to operate. This creates a whole new model for what it means to have "conditioned" space. As designers and technical researchers this project is an evolving concept in development, and with additional support we hope to translate these novel thermal designs to real experiences that help both designers and people accept new thermal paradigms.