credit – Cheng et al Purdue University
Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network
Build a Zigzag Pattern onto Walls to Keep Buildings Cool During Heat Waves
Structural engineers have discovered that the angles keep the building cooler if you build an apartment building with angled, shark-fin-shaped protrusions on the side where the Sun’s heat is the strongest.
It’s one of various simple new building and design elements proposed for a world where July and August routinely feature stories of droughts, heat waves, and temperature records.
From the dawn of time, humans have been forced to live in hot environments. From the dawn of construction, humans have figured out how to build buildings that take advantage of thermodynamics to cool them naturally. Many of these delightful architectural features are visible in buildings from antiquity, such as the Roman amphitheaters, the Taj Mahal, and the wind towers of Yazd.
Much of that planning was ignored with the advent of the modern age, and homes, whether those of the lower-middle class or the upper-middle class, took on the same character of modular boxes exposed to the mercy of any element that batters them.
In a study at Purdue and Colombia universities, researchers sought to find a simple way to retrofit boxy buildings with features that could help keep them cooler amid rising global temperatures.
One issue their research encountered is that heat hits most urban buildings from two angles—from the Sun and the ground, where cement and asphalt absorb heat and radiate it upwards all day.
“These two directions require different properties for cool walls,” says Qilong Cheng, a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University who worked on the study as a graduate student at Columbia University. “So we have this two-surface zigzag design, with one surface facing the sky and the other facing the ground.”
The angles, which resemble the sawtooth roofs of factory rooms, can reduce average indoor temperatures by 5.5° Fahrenheit.
One material reduces or deflects radiation coming up from the ground, while heat from the Sun is reflected with ultra-white paint.
Cheng and his colleagues are now looking to patent the design and turn it into a product, perhaps made of corrugated iron, which they used in their study and found could reduce HVAC energy usage by 14%.
The good news in this story is, once again, someone questioned how things were done and came up with a better way. Today’s JohnKu talks about questions. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Status Quo by John W. Howell
Defending the way,
Most things have always been done . . .
Ensures obsolete.
Fiction Favorites 
Dear John
Effective and simple – we love it.
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Happy Weekend to you F4oC. 😁
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Most of the time, I am quite sensible, but not today…I read angels instead if angles for starters. If only, eh! Secondly, while a genius idea, we’d probably be in the Ice -Age before such buildings went up…Hey ho -pass me another ice lolly. (Spain and very humid.) Cheers.
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An ice lolly sounds terrific. We are in the 40’s here. Stay cool, Joy. I hope we see some progress before the ice age. I also hope you have a super weekend. 😁
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Dad always said, the only stupid question was the one not asked. So, it’s always good to ask that question and if you come up with a better answer – fantastic. Bravo once again!
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I agree, GP. I also agree on the bravo. 😁
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Genius + Curiosity + Free Markets = Solutions. Spot on JohnKu!
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Well, as we move into far left country filled with joy, the free market idea is going to die. That will leave the government to come up with solutions. How often does that work? Have a great weekend in freedom, Steve. (While you can)
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Couldn’t agree more…
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😁
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Fantastic that engineers are coming up with these kind of solutions. Sound better to me than simply saying, “turn up the AC!” in the hot days.
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I agree. Turning up the A/C is not going to be an option inn the years to come. As we get hotter the grid gets weaker. Thanks, Dave.
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The idea is akin to nature’s way of helping alligators keep warm. Turn an alligator vertical, and their scutes look similar to this building design.
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I learned a new word today. Thank you, Linda. It amazes me that nature is so efficient.
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This could be a whole new design field of study. We’re going to keep warming up and it’s been hot enough for me.
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I agree. We had 80 days above 100 last year and it looks like we may repeat that this year. Having said that, I hope not.
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It definitely “ensures obsolete”. Thank you, John, for this heartening post. The creative potential of people amazes me. This is very hopeful! 🌞
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I agree, Gwen. Seems like a simple concept. Lets hope somebody does something with it.
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What a great solution, John! I like reading these articles of yours about new inventions.
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Thank you, Kymber. I like writing them too. 😁
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Be nice if we could easily attach stuff like that to our pre-existing homes. I know around here, a lot of people would refuse because they’re more concerned with aesthetics than comfort.
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That is probably a big factor on homes. I think the best shot is buildings..
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That is interesting. In the olden days they were good at taking the heat into account when building, not just this suggestion, but other things like window placement, colors, roofs, etc. I was told we lost a lot of that when we started using airconditioning.
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I think you are right. IN fact it is hard to find a window that will open.
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My house faces west, so mid-afternoon through evening, my blinds are pulled to ‘keep the house cooler. ‘hahah! Yeah, that doesn’t work. Something has got to be done about climate change. Oops. Our Gov DeSantis said that word is to be struck from Florida’s vocabulary.
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Let’s hope more can be done. Until China stops the carbon pollution I don’t think much is going to happen.
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So incredibly sensible! I do hope it gets incorporated into building design soon. Thanks for this information!
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I do too. Noelle.
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who da thunk it ?
clever idea for sure
I think I’ll retrofit my home
thanks
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Yeah get some corrugated metal and put it up. Can’t wait for the neighbor reaction.
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Very clever idea!
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Yes it it. Thanks, Deborah.
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This is wonderful. It’s funny that it has taken so long for them to realise there is something that can be done!
Excellent share, John.
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I know, right?
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Right!
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😊
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It looks like a good working idea for city buildings. I wonder how it would work for suburban and country homes where they’re not surrounded by concrete and asphalt radiating the sun’s infrared.
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I guess someone needs to work that out. 😁
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I installed more eve vents in our house, doubling the number already installed, and it really helps keep the temperature down inside. It enables hot air in the attic to be pushed out through the roof vents better.
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That sounds like a great move forward. I put in a fan in attic peak vent on one house. Really helped
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This is a simply brilliant solution.
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It is. 😊
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it takes a certain mind that is smart enough to look back to what was in order to fix what is.
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So true, Pam. Thank you.
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What a “cool” idea, John! As long as our world has inquisitive people willing to question the status quo, we’ll be in good shape. And your JohnKu says that perfectly!
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Thank you, Debbie. I think the future belongs to those who question conventional wisdom.
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Ingenious! Much to learn from ancient builders and 5.5 degrees becomes quite substantial when multiplied across millions. Another great share. Thank you, John.
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5.5 is a huge difference. Thanks, Michele.
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👍🏻
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😊
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This makes SO much sense… When I say “how cool” I mean it!
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How interesting, and energy saving at the same time John, now we in England, could do with a paint job that allows our homes to heat up more in winter, especially with our high escalating heating bills 🙂
Have a lovely cool weekend my friend.. And thank you for sharing.. So many new innovations coming to light.. Which is what we need.. ❤
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I had no idea, but this makes sense!
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Love your final point. The way we’ve always done is it isn’t always the best solution.
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That is for sure, Pete. Thanks.
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There’s always a better way. What a fantastic post!
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It does take special people to find that way. Thanks, Jan.
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Whoa…that’s fascinating! How’d have thought something that simple could make a difference in all the multi-family units being erected in the past 5 years?
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Lets hope they start doing it now.
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Fingers crossed.
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😁
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That’s so clever – great news share, John!
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It is good news for sure, 😁
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Agree!
Newer is not always better, when all the discoveries of days past are chucked out.
History is important: culture, social, technical, ideology, and more.
Cool JohnKu, mental AC. Thank you!
🥶 𝛘 🧐𝖃 🧊𝐗 🤔⧗
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Thank you, Resa. 🌎X🌖X🌞X🌼X
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Why is there not an emoji for every planet?
If I read the emojis correctly,
On earth
Night
And day
Make flowers.
Love it! For you! 🏆
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Very good. Thanks for the trophy.
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💋
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💋
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What a good idea! We could do with some of those shark fins over here, now that summers are getting warmer.
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Yes let’s hope it catches on.
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Gotta love innovative people!! Doesn’t it kind of also make you wonder why no one thought to do this sooner?
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I wonder too. Thanks, Betsy.
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Genius solution, dear John! Looking forward to be put into practice!🍻🍤🍤🍤
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I am too, Maria. The sooner the better.
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Good news indeed!!
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