photo C E R A M I C S

The challenge

There is a lot of energy that can be captured from the sun. Every building has a facade that can potentially harness this energy. However, owners of these buildings almost never want to have PV panels covering their whole building due to aesthetic reasons as well as cost barriers. On top of that, countries with a hot climate fail to effectively implement PV. The process of capturing the sunlight increases the temperature of the PV panel significantly. After attaining a temperature of 35 C degrees, the performance of the PV panel decreases.

The solution

Optimize the efficiency of the PV panels on facades by creating a passive cooling system that uses evaporation-cooling methods and generates a stream of natural ventilation air to tackle overheating. Due to the high absorption rate of the clay, we aim to design a modular system that integrates PV in ceramic-based materials. The parameterization of the design process allows us to create alternative shapes and forms, according to the context, the climate and the owner's preference. We combine low-impact materials that are locally available everywhere in the world to create an affordable, scalable and aesthetic energy solution.

Mission

Effectively implement scalable and sustainable energy solutions in the built environment for every climate.