The intention of this cooling system, inspired by the hot climate of the Arab Emirates, is to generate both a useful urban device and an attractive landmark with a cultural extent. This idea is materialized into a porous structure that uses the cycle of water to create a cooling effect.

The Fossil is generated from the distribution of a regular module, a truncated octahedron organized by an algorithm. The algorithm creates different distributions of the module so to generate different forms. The structure, as a result, is a porous sculpture.  The parameters to define the form variations are the base shape, the height, and the deformation factor. The most relevant characteristic to be monitored is the density of the distribution since it determines the porosity, crucial for the cooling effect. 
The construction technology used is sand 3d printing. The Fossil will be printed in chucks joined by a concrete column, to optimize the printing and assembly.

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The water cycle
Under the structure, there is a basin of water, from which an electric pump draws to transport it up through the central duct. Once at the top, the water will fall back on the structure, generating cascades and multiple refractions of the water. As the wind blows through the fossil, it is cooled by the water, and a diffuse humidity area is generated. Being the water underground, it will naturally be cooler than the outside temperature. This recirculation will lower the perceived temperature in the area. The process is known as evaporative cooling, whereby water vapor is added to the air, causing the temperature to drop. Evaporative cooling adds cool moisture into the air, making it comfortable to breathe.

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The clusters

The wind analyses guided us in organizing the layout of the area and the distribution of the devices. We have positioned them where the wind flow is guaranteed throughout the year in different blowing directions.

We found these points crossing the data on the wind flows at higher speeds. We chose to place clusters of 2 to 3 devices, to have flows of cool air between them to multiply the cooling effect.
Solar maps have helped to distribute green areas: the trees are positioned in the points of greatest sun exposure to create shade and avoid having paved surfaces that reflect the heat.

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Design:

Cristian Li Voi & Nyxo Visionary Design

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