CoolAnt
Cooling facade made of terracotta
Terracotta helps combat the highest temperatures faced every year by India.
Given the increase in temperatures and lack of cooling solutions, India is rediscovering an ancestral technology over 3,000 years terracotta.
Used since the Bronze Age by the Harappan civilization to store water, porous ceramic still is present in many Indian houses in the form of mud pots that naturally cool water. Now, the cooked clay material in the oven is being adapted to be used in the heat combat.
Only about 20% of Indian families have air conditioning or fans, less than one third have access to refrigerators and hundreds of millions face high temperatures without artificial cooling. In 2024, the hottest year recorded in the country, More than 700 people died due to the extreme heat. It is estimated that 76% of the Indian population is at high or very high thermal exposure.
Researchers and architects are taking advantage of the natural properties of the terracota to develop passive coolingwhich do not depend on electricity, according to. The porous surface of the terracotta allows the evaporation of water, removing heat from the surrounding environment.
In cities such as Bangale or Deli, structures such as ventilated screens, perforated tiles, breathable facades and even “Mud refrigerators”all inspired by this principle.
Ant Studio, headquartered in Deli, has been applying the terracotta in buildings when creating a “Second Skin” on concrete that allows to reduce the temperature between 6 and 8 ° C. In drier regions, this effect may be even more effective. Mitticol, in the state of Gujarat, has developed mud refrigerators that maintain fresh food between three and five days without electricity – an alternative for communities without reliable access to the power grid.
In addition to being more sustainable, the terracotta approach is more economical and adapted to the needs of the most vulnerable populations.
