Evaporative Cooling Bricks: Sustainable Passive Cooling

I’m always interested in new materials and finishes, in fact I have a responsibility to stay on top of new and improved construction components, so when asked about the ‘Cool Brick’ – a fascinating ceramic 3D-printed brick used as an architectural solution to rising temperatures, I was happy to weigh in. I thought about real-world applications because this approach works well in hot, arid environments where humidity is low. The ceramic bricks have a large surface area to promote evaporation. In the desert, these could be used within the enclosed building envelope to help with evaporative cooling. Used on the exterior, it could help on smaller patio areas.

Wondering if this might be a sustainable alternative to electrical cooling (AC, fans), evaporative cooling elements like reflecting pools and roof ponds have been used for passive climate control in the Southwest for many many years, but they have limitations and issues. The primary limitation is they typically only have a minor impact in reducing temperature, but can help with comfort by adding moisture. An issue can be mold growth creating musty odors and possibly unhealthy interior environments.

When thinking about how I might utilize ceramic bricks in home design and renovation, in my mind they could potentially be utilized in hot, dry climates, but not without being carefully designed to ensure all the systems within the home are working together to provide a healthy interior environment.

More realistically, the bricks are being used as a humidifier so small installations could easily be installed as a DIY. Maintaining the system becomes a bit of a hobby, just like a stand-alone humidifier.

Ceramic evaporative bricks is not an outdated idea and in fact can be utilized efficiently in the right location, for the right application, when carefully designed by a talented team of architects and mechanical engineers. When you think about it, evaporative cooling is what makes us all head to the beach towns in the hot summer months!