Spain. A group of students from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) announced the development of a prototype wall that would allow interior spaces to be opened without the need for air conditioning systems.
The material is called Hydroceramics and is composed of hydrogel bubbles that are capable of retaining up to 400 times their volume in water. Thanks to this property, the spheres absorb the liquid and on hot days evaporate its contents, reducing the temperature of the spaces.
A rainy day would be enough for the bubbles to fill and be ready to restart the process, saving energy consumption and guaranteeing a clean and sustainable use.
The project is divided into three phases: the intelligent material: hydrogel, the support material: the fabric as a water channel, and ceramics.
The researchers assured that "the objectives of the project have been answered in the area of research. And where necessary, with limited time and technology, we have achieved a promising result that could lead to several additional investigations and cost-effective projects. Considering that the composite material has a very low cost production and the natural resources of clay are still abundant, the system can be easily applied to architecture in remote area. With the help of the precise energy and thermal analysis of today's technology, hydroceramic's passive system can effectively maintain the balance of humidity and temperature within the human comfort zone."
More information by clicking here.
