Close Menu
bkngpnarnaul
  • Home
  • Education
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Math
    • Physics
    • Science
    • Teacher
  • E-Learning
    • Educational Technology
  • Health Education
    • Special Education
  • Higher Education
  • IELTS
  • Language Learning
  • Study Abroad

Subscribe to Updates

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Loading
What's Hot

Making PD meaningful in today’s classrooms

September 2, 2025

Just 1 minute of vigorous exercise a day could add years to your life

September 2, 2025

A crowdsourced project to link up erdosproblems.com to the OEIS

September 2, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Tuesday, September 2
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo
bkngpnarnaul
  • Home
  • Education
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Math
    • Physics
    • Science
    • Teacher
  • E-Learning
    • Educational Technology
  • Health Education
    • Special Education
  • Higher Education
  • IELTS
  • Language Learning
  • Study Abroad
bkngpnarnaul
Home»Science»Terracotta Is a 3,000-Year-Old Solution to Fighting Extreme Heat
Science

Terracotta Is a 3,000-Year-Old Solution to Fighting Extreme Heat

adminBy adminAugust 5, 20257 Comments3 Mins Read0 Views
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp Copy Link
Follow Us
Google News Flipboard Threads
Terracotta Is a 3,000-Year-Old Solution to Fighting Extreme Heat
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Copy Link


Terracotta Is a 3,000-Year-Old Solution to Fighting Extreme Heat

Companies are adapting this humble clay-based ceramic to keep people cool—without electricity

By Jyoti Thakur edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier

A facade of clay bricks sticking out with a small plant nestled in a pipe

Cooling facade built from terracotta

A little over 20 percent of India’s households own an air conditioner or cooler, and fewer than a third have refrigerators—leaving hundreds of millions of people to face rising temperatures without artificial cooling. Extreme heat is estimated to have claimed more than 700 lives in India in 2024, its hottest year on record, and researchers warn that 76 percent of the population faces high to very high heat risk.

But an innovation that’s at least 3,000 years old—terracotta—is emerging as a low-cost, low-energy alternative. Once used by the Bronze Age Harappan civilization to store water, this clay-based ceramic still stands on the shelves of rural Indian homes as earthen pots that cool water without electricity and cost as little as a dollar each.

“Terracotta’s porous surface allows water to slowly evaporate, carrying heat away and cooling the space around it,” says Adithya Pradyumna, an environmental health researcher at Azim Premji University in Bengaluru. Drawing on this principle, architects in India’s sprawling metro areas are turning to terracotta for new passive cooling solutions that range from clay refrigerators to perforated tiles, ventilated screens, and facades that allow natural ventilation and help heat and moisture transfer between indoor and outdoor environments. In certain designs, water is also distributed across terracotta surfaces to evaporate and thus lower surrounding temperatures.


On supporting science journalism

If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


Passive cooling uses building design to regulate indoor temperatures with natural materials, strategic ventilation and well-controlled shading. This approach works particularly well in the Mediterranean and other arid or semiarid places— like parts of the Pacific Northwest, where research found it can reduce air-conditioning loads by up to 70 percent.

A pioneer in this field is Delhi-based design company Ant Studio, whose CoolAnt project uses terracotta as a second skin on concrete buildings. “We’ve harnessed its hydrophilic properties and observed average temperature drops of six to eight degrees Celsius across more than 30 sites” in India, says studio founder Monish Siripurapu. The material should be even more effective in drier areas of the country, he adds.

Even such modest temperature drops, Pradyumna says, can “significantly help the human body cool itself more efficiently, especially indoors.” Research shows a direct correlation between rising temperatures and mortality.

Another Indian company, Bengaluru-based A Threshold, is repurposing recycled terracotta into breathable facades. Meanwhile Gujarat-based MittiCool has created clay refrigerators that purportedly keep food fresh for three to five days without power—invaluable in homes without reliable electricity. “Many of our customers can’t afford to run conventional appliances, so this is a durable and affordable alternative,” says MittiCool founder Mansukhbhai Prajapati.

Niyati Gupta, a senior program associate at research institute WRI India, says terracotta “can complement existing cooling systems and reduce our dependence on the fossil-fuel-powered grid. That alone could be a game changer for both the energy and construction sectors.”



Source link

3000YearOld Extreme Fighting Heat Solution Terracotta
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp Copy Link
yhhifa9
admin
  • Website

Related Posts

Science

Just 1 minute of vigorous exercise a day could add years to your life

September 2, 2025
Science

Doctors Just Found Out What Metformin Really Does Inside You

September 1, 2025
Science

Beet juice secretly helps older adults lower blood pressure in just two weeks

August 31, 2025
Science

How the racist study of skulls gripped Victorian Britain’s scientists

August 30, 2025
Science

Galactic cannonballs: The mystery of hypervelocity white dwarfs may just have been solved

August 29, 2025
Science

The best portable Bluetooth speakers for 2025, tested & reviewed

August 28, 2025
View 7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Quentin1496
    Quentin1496 on August 5, 2025 10:52 pm

    https://shorturl.fm/zSHKQ

    Reply
  2. Iris3946
    Iris3946 on August 6, 2025 3:59 am

    https://shorturl.fm/NjMwb

    Reply
  3. Michael137
    Michael137 on August 6, 2025 7:19 am

    https://shorturl.fm/msXWO

    Reply
  4. Ariana4847
    Ariana4847 on August 6, 2025 10:40 am

    https://shorturl.fm/KFo42

    Reply
  5. 📐 ⚠️ Confirmation Required - 0.2 BTC transfer blocked. Resume here => https://graph.org/UNLOCK-CRYPTO-ASSETS-07-23?hs=3eecf8204d6eeb9d653fd90ba7144d43& 📐
    📐 ⚠️ Confirmation Required - 0.2 BTC transfer blocked. Resume here => https://graph.org/UNLOCK-CRYPTO-ASSETS-07-23?hs=3eecf8204d6eeb9d653fd90ba7144d43& 📐 on August 8, 2025 12:39 pm

    9y15rt

    Reply
  6. 📅 WALLET ALERT; Suspicious transaction of 2.0 Bitcoin. Block? >> https://graph.org/COLLECT-BTC-07-23?hs=3eecf8204d6eeb9d653fd90ba7144d43& 📅
    📅 WALLET ALERT; Suspicious transaction of 2.0 Bitcoin. Block? >> https://graph.org/COLLECT-BTC-07-23?hs=3eecf8204d6eeb9d653fd90ba7144d43& 📅 on August 9, 2025 8:41 pm

    fhtd5r

    Reply
  7. 📔 🚀 Quick Deposit - 2.1 BTC processed. Complete now >> https://graph.org/GET-FREE-BITCOIN-07-23?hs=3eecf8204d6eeb9d653fd90ba7144d43& 📔
    📔 🚀 Quick Deposit - 2.1 BTC processed. Complete now >> https://graph.org/GET-FREE-BITCOIN-07-23?hs=3eecf8204d6eeb9d653fd90ba7144d43& 📔 on August 10, 2025 9:39 am

    jfp00q

    Reply
Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Posts

2024 in math puzzles. – Math with Bad Drawings

July 22, 202520 Views

Testing Quantum Theory in Curved Spacetime

July 22, 20259 Views

How AI Is Helping Customer Support Teams Avoid Burnout

May 28, 20257 Views

Chemistry in the sunshine – in C&EN

August 9, 20256 Views
Don't Miss

Irina’s Spring Semester in Valencia, Spain 

By adminAugust 31, 20255

36 Eager to follow in the footsteps of a college student who studied abroad in…

Living Costs in Limerick | Study in Ireland

August 30, 2025

These 3 College Students Studied Abroad in Greece

August 27, 2025

Taylor’s Spring Semester in Athens

August 23, 2025
Stay In Touch
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo

Subscribe to Updates

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Loading
About Us
About Us

Welcome to Bkngpnarnaul. At Bkngpnarnaul, we are committed to shaping the future of technical education in Haryana. As a premier government institution, our mission is to empower students with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience needed to thrive in today’s competitive and ever-evolving technological landscape.

Our Picks

Making PD meaningful in today’s classrooms

September 2, 2025

Just 1 minute of vigorous exercise a day could add years to your life

September 2, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Loading
Copyright© 2025 Bkngpnarnaul All Rights Reserved.
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.