Ancient Solution to a Modern-Day Problem: Designer Uses Non-Electric Air-Conditioning System

An ancient solution of using a non-electric air-conditioning system to solve a modern-day problem has been reinvented by a designer employing an innovative twist.

By incorporating the air conditioning into a contemporary, stylish wall ornament that effectively regulates indoor temperatures without using a single watt of electricity, the designer was able to address thermal discomfort as well as energy consumption reduction and interior aesthetics.

The Nave, modeled after the Jarrah of ancient Palestine, is a sizable terracotta radiator containing cold water. The Nave's interior is cooled by water evaporating from permeable pores in the terracotta wall, which also radiates heat to cool the room.

Since humans have been enduring the heat of the tropics and deserts for millennia, architects and engineers had cooling systems installed into their dwellings long before air conditioning was invented.

Read also: Climate Change May Cause High Air Conditioning Use in the United States 

Award-Winning Innovation

According to Yael Issacharov, an industrial designer at the Holon Institute of Technology, the Nave works best in hot, dry climates where evaporation will occur more quickly. Her creation earned her a gold IDA Design Award and a bronze A'Design Award.

She claims that the Nave would cost more than a standard air conditioner, but in addition to saving money on energy costs, it also frees up the window and is quite lovely to look at.

In fact, drinking water was kept in the Jarrah of Palestine because the evaporation process kept both the water and the space in which it was kept cool.

Other desert cultures, such as the ancient Persians, used wind-catching towers assembled on their structures to direct prevailing desert breezes into the interior living spaces.

Another passive cooling system found on structures such as the Taj Mahal is the jaali, which dates back to Mughal India. The natural law of thermodynamics dictates that air must be able to speed up as it travels through small spaces, so a perforated slab of ornately carved sandstone or marble takes advantage of this natural law.

The tiny hexagonal holes in a jaali serve as humidifiers during the night because the moist night air deposits humidity around the holes as it enters the room, cooling the air as it passes through them.

Issacharov explains that The material's properties produce evaporation and cooling effect that reduces the room's temperature without the use of electricity. She is reviving an ancient solution to a modern-day problem with an inventive "upgrade" of the fresh technology available today because this method has been used for hundreds of years in the Negev desert in Israel in the form of "Jara," which is a terracotta water vase.

The Nave can maintain a space at a thermally comfortable temperature of 77°F in the scorching desert heat, just like the jaali and the windcatchers.

The Nave has not yet attracted any commercial interest, but according to Fast Company, Issacharov is open to proposals as she continues to expand the design to make it compatible with much more configuration and construction techniques, Good News Network reports.

Related article: Scientists Presented a New View of Using Geothermal Systems for Environmental-Friendly Air Conditioning