AWARD YEAR
2019
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Sustainable Cities & Communities
KEYWORDS
sustainable, eco-friendly, low-cost
COUNTRY
India
DESIGNED BY
Monish Siripurapu, Abhishek Sonar, Atul Sekhar, Sudhanshu Kumar. Ant Studio.
WEBSITE
http://www.ant-studio.org/new-gallery/
BEEHIVE – BIOMIMETIC COOLER AND AIR PURIFIER
Alternative to energy intensive cooling and air purification solutions.
Ant Studio’s vision is to amalgamate Art, Nature, and Technology. Our air cooling & purifying solution looks magnificent as an art installation. Use of vernacular material reduces on embodied energy, use of passive energy strategies reduces environmental impact, use of craft gives it a distinct character and encourages local employment by incorporating traditional craft and skills. Beehive works on active-direct evaporative cooling. Traditionally earthen pots are used for cooling water. We have innovated a system that uses the same principle but in a reverse order. We let the air pass through the earthen pots soaked in water. Calibrating the traditional method with modern computational tools, we are able to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of cooling drastically. Biofilm forms naturally on these earthen pots. Growing microalgae on the surface of these cones can help assist air purification in public places. It consumes 40% less energy compared to other systems.