Architectural Solutions for Cooling an Overheating World
Amid unprecedented heat waves in Europe, a discussion emerges regarding the impact of air conditioning on climate change. The piece highlights alternative architectural strategies for cooling buildings without relying on AC, mentioning a 2003 study in Paris that revealed attic residents faced a death risk four times higher. Overheating issues are intensified in low-income housing, and access to green spaces is limited. The article critiques urban planning under capitalism, pointing to regions like South Florida and desert cities such as Phoenix and Albuquerque. Proposed solutions include retrofitting existing homes and improving green space availability. Notable examples of innovative cooling designs are Kéré Architecture's Startup Lions campus in Kenya and Burkina Faso's Dano Secondary School. It emphasizes the need for affordable passive designs, warning of a potential 12,800 fatalities from a blackout in Phoenix, underscoring urgent priorities.
Key facts
- A 2003 Paris heat wave study found attic dwellers had a fourfold increased risk of death.
- Three-quarters of Paris rooftops are covered in zinc, which absorbs and conducts heat.
- Low-income housing often uses concrete and asphalt, which absorb heat and increase overheating risk.
- South Florida homes once used crawl spaces for natural cooling, but many are now built on concrete.
- American developers abandoned passive cooling features like thick masonry and shutters for cheap construction and AC reliance.
- The Startup Lions campus in Kenya, designed by Kéré Architecture, mimics termite mounds with ventilation towers.
- Persian wind towers can cool spaces by up to 12°C without electricity.
- Passive buildings in Massachusetts cost only 2-3% more than conventional buildings.
Entities
Institutions
- UNESCO
- Kéré Architecture
- Common Edge
- Grist
- The Independent
- Nottingham Trent University
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Locations
- Europe
- Paris
- France
- South Florida
- Phoenix
- Albuquerque
- Kenya
- Lake Turkana
- India
- Iran
- Burkina Faso
- Massachusetts
- West Yorkshire
- United States