Innovative architecture firm Morphogenesis designed Jaipur, India’s Pearl Academy of Fashion with a look back to traditional Indian building techniques, and a distinctly modern twist. This contemporary sustainable design incorporates two passive cooling systems to contend with the hot, dry climate. By elevating the structure off the ground, air enters around the building’s perimeter and is released up through the sculptural courtyards – a haven where temperatures hover around a comfortable 27 degrees Celsius, even on a stifling 47-degree day. The second passive cooling method is called “jaali” – simply, a stone screen. The school’s facade boasts a contemporary cut-out frontage that, apart from looking really cool, also reduces heat gain to interiors. The visually interesting outer thermal skin features a checkerboard of alternating stone and openings, and sits approximately four ft. from the main building wall, thus allowing for hot air to circulate rather than seeping inside. As a result, the ultra-modern Pearl Academy of Fashion is not only a fashionable design in itself, but it’s also totally functional and naturally cool. Morphogenesis
via Inhabitat




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