Ancient Persian cooling tech inspires Paris designer's pavilion at Venice Biennale

Designer and artist Clémence Althabegoïty advocates for low-tech urban cooling solutions inspired by ancient Persian architecture, such as the yakhtchal (communal fridge) and badguir (wind tower). With architect Imma Sierra, she created "Pavillon de l'air," a bench with a beeswax-coated fabric roof that channels rainwater through terracotta walls for evapotranspiration cooling. Their project "14C," shown at this year's Venice Biennale, explores Paris's underground spaces—old railway tunnels, quarries, and catacombs—as potential cool sanctuaries. Collaborating with scientists, they found that temperature beneath Paris stabilizes at 10.84 meters depth. Althabegoïty argues that ancestral and modern technologies can complement each other, and that climate resilience can come from simple solutions like shade, wind, and existing materials.