The use of air conditioners have become increasingly more popular in homes, offices, and pretty much everywhere else you go. The problem is that, while relying on them to cool down the air in warmer weather, we also use large amounts of electricity, which is reflected on our bills but especially in environmental damage.
To prevent our solution to the heat from generating so many problems, some students from The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia Barcelona in Spain have come together to create a wall that can naturally cool off the room. The material, called hydroceramic, contains hydrogel bubbles (sandwiched between fabric and ceramic) that interact with the environment. The hydrogel is a moisture-absorbing polymer capable of absorbing up to 400 times its own volume in water, then as the water evaporates, it cools down the area around it.
The hydrogels then refill themselves when humidity is high on the outside. With the help of this “passive cooling” concept, these walls can reduce room temperature in up to 5°C without the use of air conditioning and reduce energy consumption by 28 percent.
The idea is just a prototype for now, but the video shows how these hydroceramic walls could really be the next big thing in sustainable and environmentally-friendly construction.