The temperature during the day doesn’t seem to stop rising in Indian summers, and installing big air conditioning systems is uneconomical and energy inefficient for a majority of the population. Working under such heated conditions takes a toll on the health of the employees, a problem which was also faced at the factory of Deki Electronics in Uttar Pradesh.
Excessive heat released from the Genset at the entrance in the external area of the factory had reduced productivity to a minimum. It was also heating up the entire driveway making the exterior envelope of the building hotter, hence reducing its efficiency and increasing air conditioning load of the building. A sustainable and inexpensive alternative was required, and the team at Ant Studio used the old method of Evaporative cooling to provide a low energy and effective solution. This technique, tracing back to the Egyptian period, cools down surroundings with the help of water and local materials.
The thrust of hot air facilitates the cooling when used a fan mechanism. Evaporative cooling needs air force. This design uses the air velocity from the genset to its advantage.
The design was inspired by the structure of a beehive, using environment-friendly earthen cones to create an aesthetic prototype. The design and size of the conical components were customised through advanced computational analysis and modern calibration techniques. The geometry of the pots and the stacked form provided a larger surface area for cooling while also ensuring that the air does not bounce back to the Genset. This was achieved by aligning the stacking of the pots to the air flow.
