Ancient “Air-Conditioning” Cools Building Sustainably

How did buildings keep cool before the invention of air conditioning? The Pearl Academy of Fashion in Jaipur took inspiration from the stepwell structures developed locally over 1,500 years ago to provide refuge from the desert heat. Designed by award-winning architect Manit Rastogi, he took inspiration from the baoli or stepwells. While traditional stepwells often go many stories below ground level, Rastogi’s go down just four meters. However, the effect is the same and — like the ancient Mughal palaces before it — the academy enjoys its own microclimate.

When water evaporates in heat, it immediately brings down the temperature of the space around it. Centuries ago, latticed screens or “jaali” filtered direct sunlight into the palaces. The effect was decorative and helped reduce the heat. Likewise at The Pearl Academy, a latticed concrete screen runs the length of the building and provides a cooling outer skin.
_{^{via CNN}}

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