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Looking to the past to help cool the future? Ancient designs could help limit the amount of AC that is needed in buildings moving forward using physics to help cool structures while using less energy.
Our Ancestors May Hold the Key To Keeping Buildings Cool in a Changing Climate
Some studies have shown the lattice work has reduced AC use by 35%.
Wonder what other past or future designs there may be to help reduce energy use while remaining comfortable.
Our Ancestors May Hold the Key To Keeping Buildings Cool in a Changing Climate
Today, these cultures are providing inspirations to building managers and architects who want to design buildings that stay cool without as much reliance on air conditioning.
One such method is the wind catcher, which if you fancy a drive through Andalusia’s new housing units, or the ancient Persian city of Yazd, or even past the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London, may appear like chimneys.
In reality, they are ingenious structure that make use of the desert winds, and the basic differences between the properties of hot and cold air, to cool building interiors. Stretching up from the roof, the openings in the towers catch the breeze which is channeled via a series of curved walls down into a chamber below.
Dust or debris is traditionally left by the breeze at the bottom of the tower, which would simply be a room inside the house. Then the density of the cold air, which naturally means it will sit lower than hot air which rises, disperses throughout the interior while using that density to push the hot air out through another tower.
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The traditional lattice-work marble screens, or jaali, on the windows of the Taj Mahal and other ornate Indian buildings are gorgeous to behold, and cool to stand behind. The intricately-carved lattice actually prevents around 70% of thermal energy of the sun from entering the palace rooms.
Normally carved from red sandstone or marble, it defuses lighting, provides necessary privacy, lets in breeze, but keeps out direct heat, making them ideal for façade that face the sun’s path.
Relying on simple physics, the jaali of the Mughal period are now being widely adopted today to reduce the cooling burden on air conditioning.
The Venturi effect shows that as air moves from a large space into and through a narrow space, it must not only cool, but also speed up. The holes in the jaali not only let in air, but actively cool and push it into the interior. Wooden jaali can be used in dryer climate to improve humidity in buildings. At night, air passing through the cooled holes deposits small amounts of moisture that is later expressed into the interior during the following day.
One such method is the wind catcher, which if you fancy a drive through Andalusia’s new housing units, or the ancient Persian city of Yazd, or even past the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London, may appear like chimneys.
In reality, they are ingenious structure that make use of the desert winds, and the basic differences between the properties of hot and cold air, to cool building interiors. Stretching up from the roof, the openings in the towers catch the breeze which is channeled via a series of curved walls down into a chamber below.
Dust or debris is traditionally left by the breeze at the bottom of the tower, which would simply be a room inside the house. Then the density of the cold air, which naturally means it will sit lower than hot air which rises, disperses throughout the interior while using that density to push the hot air out through another tower.
.....
The traditional lattice-work marble screens, or jaali, on the windows of the Taj Mahal and other ornate Indian buildings are gorgeous to behold, and cool to stand behind. The intricately-carved lattice actually prevents around 70% of thermal energy of the sun from entering the palace rooms.
Normally carved from red sandstone or marble, it defuses lighting, provides necessary privacy, lets in breeze, but keeps out direct heat, making them ideal for façade that face the sun’s path.
Relying on simple physics, the jaali of the Mughal period are now being widely adopted today to reduce the cooling burden on air conditioning.
The Venturi effect shows that as air moves from a large space into and through a narrow space, it must not only cool, but also speed up. The holes in the jaali not only let in air, but actively cool and push it into the interior. Wooden jaali can be used in dryer climate to improve humidity in buildings. At night, air passing through the cooled holes deposits small amounts of moisture that is later expressed into the interior during the following day.
Wonder what other past or future designs there may be to help reduce energy use while remaining comfortable.
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