Engineers discover how to cool buildings without electricity, drawing inspiration from beehive architecture

As cities around the world grapple with record-breaking temperatures this summer, most of us are desperate to get some respite. Unfortunately, while it can save lives, using air conditioning increases energy consumption (and also increases your electricity bill).

Moreover, having access to air conditioning is a privilege in itself.

For these reasons, architects and engineers have long looked for ways to cool buildings without using electricity or chemicals.

Indian architect Monish Siripurapu founded his company, CoolAnt, which uses design elements inspired by nature itself to cool buildings without electricity.

“Cooling is a necessity today, and the least we should do is not let this necessity warm our planet,” Siripurapu writes on the CoolAnt website.

In India alone, studies estimate that the building sector is responsible for around 40% of the country’s total energy consumption each year, and this figure is expected to reach 76% by 2040.

As demand for air conditioning systems increases, experts like Siripurapu know that unless buildings are constructed more intentionally, the pressure of this demand will lead to significant resource and energy shortages.

“There is an urgent need to not only mitigate future climate change, but to work together to adapt and plan for the changes ahead,” the website continues.

So how did CoolAnt adapt?

Using biomimicry seen in beehives and trees, CoolAnt created walls made up of multiple tiny pieces that use a combination of physical and material properties to help cool the building.

In these walls, CoolAnt uses terracotta tubes that recall the hexagonal cells observed in a beehive, or “AeroLeaf” clay tiles that are inspired by the evapotranspiration of leaves.

“Traditionally, we used earthen pots to cool water. We use the same system and technology to cool air,” Siripurapu explained in a video for the United Nations Environment Programme.

“We pour water over these tubes and let air pass through these clay pots, and the air that comes out is naturally cooled.”

When the water in these tubes or tiles evaporates, it creates a cooling effect on the surrounding air, reducing heat in a home or building, all without ozone-depleting or carbon-intensive chemicals like refrigerants.

Evaporative cooling like this has actually been used for centuries, in ancient civilizations that, of course, did not have access to electric air conditioning systems.

“Traditional architecture has so much wisdom, knowledge and methods that are really simple to solve simple problems like air conditioning and cooling,” Siripurapu said in the UN video.

The Romans and Egyptians used damp earthen materials to freshen the air, using porous jars or hanging damp materials on the doors of houses and tents.

Of course, CoolAnt’s tactics are much more modernized and also aim to incorporate a much more natural and attractive visual design compared to the industrial aesthetics of standardized air conditioning systems.

So far, CoolAnt has implemented some of its projects across India. One such installation helped cool classrooms at educational NGO Vidya & Child, while another helped keep over half a million people cool at an international science festival.

These systems are already used in government buildings, such as the army cantonment in Jaipur, India, and in some private residences.

Other facilities for commercial buildings are also being planned and implemented, including one at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

Additionally, CoolAnt hopes to create public artworks that will purify the air in the environment around them. Exhibits of CoolAnt’s work can be found at places like the Science Museum in London, and the company was recently featured on Shark Tank India for its innovations.

These cooling systems are not only good for the environment: they have also created jobs for local artisans who make pottery from natural materials to cool walls and fixtures. A recent public toilet project, Twin Toilets, was even made from “terracotta waste,” which comes from construction debris or broken pots from the local pottery village.

Terracotta materials are also conducive to adding greenery to a space, and the growth of moss and biofilm even helps improve the air quality in spaces where these walls or installations are assembled.

Additionally, CoolAnt offers all of its research on natural cooling solutions as OpenSource materials, so that architects and engineers around the world can implement similar solutions.

“This is what we want to stand for,” Siripurapu told the UN. “Combining art, nature and technology in design and making products accessible to all.”

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Header images courtesy of Pixabay and CoolAnt