Beyond air conditioning: how design can inspire us to deal differently with heat
One in five Dutch people now has an air conditioner. But is this really the only solution to the increasingly warm climate in our country?
During the heatwaves that gripped Europe this summer, many people must have been happy with their air conditioner. How wonderful, a cool house, a cool bedroom and a cool study! What more could you ask for? But is artificial cooling really the best or only solution to our hot homes? TU/e researcher Lenneke Kuijer is stimulating creative thinking on the future with a series of bold designs. How about a cooling shirt with plants that live off of your sweat or a confetti cannon that spreads coolness?
Kuijer works for the Future Everyday group in the Department of Industrial Design and is also affiliated with EIRES, the energy institute of TU/e. She performs research on the future of summer comfort in Dutch households. As part of this, she and her research partners and design students have been looking for alternative ways to keep the heat in our country livable.
“Not because I have anything against air conditioners; in some cases, they certainly make sense,” says Kuijer. “But there are also drawbacks: everyone knows that an air conditioner uses a lot of electricity, which in turn contributes to the greenhouse effect. Besides, once you get used to an air conditioner, research shows that it’s hard to go back.”
Living at night - design dimension: time
This concept assumes that people will start living at night, when the temperature is a lot more pleasant. At the beginning of the summer, the Ministry of Health, together with KNMI, will determine when the shift will take effect. During the summer, stores, restaurants and offices are open at night and schools, public transport and the entertainment industry switch their schedules. During the day, people sleep and rest, keeping doors and windows closed to keep out the heat. At night, doors and windows are opened again to take advantage of the cooler night air.
Kuijer: “Living at Night is an exciting concept because it plays with our conventional way of dealing with the sun and heat. It dials up the somewhat-closer-to-home siesta to the extreme. Reflection on the idea shows that such a time shift would require far-reaching changes in our lives, which has advantages but also disadvantages. For example, one could end up in a 24-hour economy, where everyone is always on. Different sleeping patterns can also lead to health problems. And there is the danger of increased energy usage if the light has to stay on all night and you can’t sleep well during the day because of the heat, so you then still need extra cooling.”
Image: Brigitte van der Lugt
Techno-hedonist
For Kuijer, the air conditioner represents a certain way of thinking, one that seeks the solution to the heat problem primarily in devices and smart technology. “Industrial designers often have a certain type of consumer in mind, which you could describe as the techno-hedonist. This fictive character, who is mainly interested in automated, luxurious experiences that require little effort, is still the target audience for many new products that deal with heat – like the air conditioner, that is.
“However, I know from my own research that many people do want to consider other ways of coping with the new ‘normal’ of hot summers. It would be a shame not to make use of that, especially if we can limit the use of air conditioning with it.”
UrbiCamp - design dimension: space
UrbiCamp allows people in the big city to work outside in public spaces when it gets too hot inside. Examples include parks and public gardens but also parking lots and sidewalks. To do so, they get a bag with magnetic hooks (which you can attach to street furniture), tarpaulin to keep out the sun, cord and a power strip. The bag can also be used as a mat. “This concept is aimed at young people, who often live in small places and don’t have money for an air conditioner.”
Kuijer: “UrbiCamp assumes that there are enough freely accessible green spaces in the city where you can work. This is currently far from the case. Moreover, the public spaces in our cities are designed mainly for pedestrians and not for people who want to stay there for a longer time. Working in public spaces gives a whole new meaning to things like street furniture, parking lots, fountains, taps and surveillance cameras. It also raises the fact that a home can stay cooler if there are no people or devices generating heat.”
Concept by Nina Boelsums, Tjeu van Bussel and Piet de Koning. Image: Shams Hazim
Stimulating provocations
The concepts of Kuijer and her colleagues are primarily intended to get the creative process rolling. “My main focus at this stage of our research was to stimulate people and companies to think about what is possible. The ideas are therefore also intentionally provocative.”
To identify possible future scenarios, the researcher used an innovative mix of four design methods: Practices-Oriented Design, Co-performance, Critical Design and Role Play. These methods intentionally focus more on changes in daily life that require effort and flexibility than on technical solutions.
Living shirt - design dimension: body
Living Shirt uses plants that are integrated into clothing and live off of the sweat of the wearer. Because of the shade and evaporation via the leaves, your body stays cool. This way, you can bike or walk to work even when it’s hot. Unlike regular clothing, you keep the Living Shirt on when you take a shower. If you’re not wearing it, you hang it in front of your window. “In this future, our closets will slowly but surely be replaced by greenhouses with advanced humidification systems,” say the inventors.
Kuijer: “Green clothing has all kinds of implications for the way in which we live, such as in regard to personal hygiene, work and the use of public transport. And of course, there has to be suitable infrastructure to keep the plants alive. But if accepted, this could bring all sorts of benefits beyond keeping you cool. For example, the unique and changing nature of each garment could entice people to buy fewer new clothes. But what the shirt does most of all is make people think differently about the usefulness of sweating.”
Concept by Joost Buining, Serra van Santen and Luna Snelder. Shirt design by Marina Toeters (Fashion Tech Farm) and Brigitte van der Lught. Photo: bywirenet.
“That may sound crazy for a researcher working at a university of technology. But by also looking at solutions that don’t revolve around technology, comfort and convenience, you get to see all sorts of new ways of dealing with heat that you might not otherwise consider. Ultimately, it’s about stretching the design space.”
All in all, Kuijer and her students came up with 16 concepts, some more inventive than others. In this article (see the boxes), we describe five of them, each of which opens up an additional design dimension. These are time, space, body, personal cooling and skills.
Chilly popper - design dimension: personal cooling
The Chilly Popper is a portable device that temporarily cools the room. It was conceived for a future in which heatwaves have become normal and air conditioners no longer work because the power is constantly out. The Chilly Popper is based on a confetti cannon but spreads coolness instead of confetti. When the popper is opened, an endothermic reaction takes place. This reaction absorbs the heat in the environment and the temperature drops to 20°C within five minutes. The Chilly Popper is sold at various stores and costs 20 euros. Refills are available for three euros.
Kuijer: “Technology is central to this idea but the scenario outlines a completely different type of usage than an air conditioner. You can imagine using such a form of temporary, local cooling at parties, on public transport, while cooking or cleaning or for falling asleep. But there are also caveats. For example, not everyone can afford a popper. What about air quality and waste? Are the chemicals used safe and do they accumulate in the body with regular use?”
Concept by Saskia van Hoeven, Sanne Metten and Shams Hazim. Image: Shams Hazim
Follow-up
The researcher, who published an initial report on the subject last year, acknowledges that not all ideas have been exhausted.
“I’m sure that there are many dozens of other ideas to consider. But the point is that the concepts that we have developed broaden the design space in the project and provide insights into possible advantages and disadvantages of these additional design spaces. I’ll take these insights into the next phase of my research.” In doing so, Kuijer and her partners in the project will work towards realistic proposals for the healthy, energy-efficient handling of heat, in which technology will certainly play a role.
Kuijer’s research is part of a four-year VENI project Anticipating the role of smart technologies in the dynamics of everyday life, which is funded by NWO and runs until 2023.
The entire report can be read here.
E.VIE - design dimension: skills
E.VIE is a unique smart home device that knows exactly what’s good for you and for the climate. It controls all systems and devices in the home and makes decisions on behalf of the residents based on the necessary and available energy, the weather forecast and the (predicted) indoor temperatures. For example, E.VIE sets the alarm at 05:20 so that residents can take advantage of the cool morning to work. It also makes recommendations on the ideal space to work and what to wear. And it automatically turns off devices such as TVs if the temperature rises too high.
Kuijer: “E.VIE may seem extreme, but the scenario contains elements that could be applied in an adapted form. Smart thermostats already exist, but they usually work behind the scenes in service of the residents without questioning their orders. E.VIE steers more strongly and, based on observations of indoor and outdoor temperatures, comes up with smart recommendations itself. This has its advantages, but the question naturally arises of how far you want to go with this.”
Image: Brigitte van der Lugt
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