beat the heat

Körpernahe Kühlung

Anna Vogelsang

Juli 2024

Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart

Description

Increasing heatwaves demand new solutions. ‘Beat the Heat’ is a modular, body-close cooling set specifically designed for urban daily life and physically demanding situations during periods of heat. It includes a cap, vest, as well as arm and foot elements, and operates passively, without electricity, using only evaporative cooling.

Moist pads and open-pored ceramic elements slowly release water and cool the body through natural evaporation. A small field with thermochromic paint indicates when the elements need to be re-moistened.

The prototypes were tested under heat conditions at the Sense Lab of the Technical University of Munich and analyzed using infrared cameras. The result: a sustainable, energy-independent system for a resilient future in the face of climate change.