Smart bricks for hot cities

Cities get hotter than the surrounding countryside. Heat Islands are a long-known phenomenon, largely attributable to dark roofs and pavement soaking up solar energy throughout the day.

This is where a new type of cooling brick comes in. The creators, Andrin Stocker and Luc Schweizer, call it ‘bloc,’ and I wish I had their ear to tell them that name sucks and they need a new one. 

But the idea itself is actually fairly clever.

The cooling bricks are 3D-printed terracotta. Their wavy outside shape increases surface area, while internal voids allow them to fill with water. Vertical tubes, meant to facilitate airflow from solar-powered fans, provide the mechanism for cooling.

According to the creators, this allows for a localized 16°F (~9°C) temperature drop. Since this is essentially the same mechanism used by evaporative coolers (an ancient technology), it’s humidity-sensitive, functioning best in arid environments.

The system needs real-world testing, and it won’t be a universal solution. It can run off collected rainwater and solar panels, but you can’t put that everywhere. Best use cases will be spots like playgrounds, bus stops, and outdoor plazas, places where people congregate.

Most inventions aren’t meant to revolutionize the world. Some are just intended to make measurable improvements in known and longstanding problems. This is that kind of forward-thinking, take a win where you can find it, sort of innovation.

Maybe someday soon, you’ll be leaning against a short wall, waiting for your bus to arrive, thinking how nice it is outside, even as the rest of the city around you swelters.

Read for yourself: