Schools Constructed for Severe Heat Conditions - Without Air Conditioning Installed
In the face of rising temperatures and the threat of climate change, architects are pioneering innovative school designs that prioritize sustainability and comfort. These designs use passive cooling techniques, natural materials, and architectural features that regulate indoor temperature without energy-intensive air conditioning.
The Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso, designed by prize-winning architect Francis Kéré, is a prime example of this approach. Built from clay, a natural temperature regulator, the school absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night. The classrooms feature openings at both ends for cross-ventilation, keeping air flowing and reducing heat buildup. The design also incorporates an overhanging roof elevated above a perforated lower roof to improve air circulation and shade the building facade.
In India's Thar desert, the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, designed by Diana Kellogg, is another shining example. The school is constructed as a large oval sandstone edifice, leveraging local materials that help keep interiors cooler despite extreme external heat reaching up to 48°C. The architectural design is adapted to the desert environment, mitigating heat through building shape and material choice to provide a cooler indoor climate without reliance on mechanical cooling.
These schools are not isolated cases. Many cities are recognizing the importance of greener playgrounds for children's development, and scientists are developing high-tech cool paint coatings that could potentially outperform air conditioners. Britain has even stated that new school buildings should be future-proofed for a 4°C temperature rise.
These sustainable school designs prioritize energy efficiency and natural ventilation to reduce heat stress in classrooms, contributing to better concentration and learning outcomes. They use reflective roofs or light-colored building surfaces to lower indoor temperatures by reflecting sunlight. Moreover, they harness local, eco-friendly construction materials like clay, sandstone, or other low embodied-energy resources, reducing both environmental impact and heat gain indoors.
Incorporating community-involved design approaches helps blend climate adaptation strategies with local cultural and environmental contexts. This approach not only lowers heat stress for students and teachers—helping maintain comfortable classroom temperatures near or below 26°C, the recommended maximum for effective learning—but also reduces energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions associated with air conditioning.
Architects like Francis Kéré and Diana Kellogg are leading the way in this shift towards sustainable school designs. Kéré's international commissions include Benin's new parliament building and the upcoming Las Vegas Museum of Art. German architect Anna Heringer is also known for building schools with mud, a low-tech material with high-tech performance. Kéré frequently receives inquiries about building with clay and passive cooling, and Heringer emphasizes that contrary to popular perception, clay walls do not dissolve in the rain.
In Kenya, Kéré's design for a college campus is inspired by termite mounds, using natural ventilation to regulate interior temperatures. Heringer's schools in Tanzania have required little maintenance, and some classrooms have solar-powered fans but no air conditioning. Clay, according to Heringer, balances humidity, which exacerbates physical discomfort in extreme heat and cold.
In conclusion, sustainable school designs like those at Gando and Rajkumari Ratnavati use passive, low-tech architectural solutions and natural materials tailored to their climates to combat heat impact on learning in a warming planet. These designs demonstrate climate-adaptive, energy-efficient education infrastructure models for other hot regions.
- As climate change rises, architects are pushing for an energy transition in school designs, prioritizing sustainability and comfort.
- The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) include the use of renewable energy and addressing climate change, which these designs aim to achieve.
- The Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso, a prime example, uses clay, a natural temperature regulator, to absorb heat during the day and release it at night.
- The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School in India's Thar desert, another example, uses local sandstone materials to keep interiors cooler in extreme heat.
- Scientists are developing high-tech cool paint coatings that could potentially outperform air conditioners, further contributing to sustainability.
- These designs prioritize energy efficiency and natural ventilation to reduce heat stress in classrooms, improving learning outcomes and concentration.
- They use reflective roofs and light-colored surfaces to lower indoor temperatures, harness local, eco-friendly materials like clay and sandstone, and incorporate community-involved design approaches.
- In incorporating these strategies, the designs also tackle water security issues by using less water for cooling systems.
- Architects like Francis Kéré and Diana Kellogg are leading this shift in sustainable school designs, with commissions in various countries.
- Anna Heringer, another architect, builds schools with mud, a low-tech material with high-tech performance that can regulate temperatures and balance humidity.
- Incorporating cultural and environmental contexts, these designs provide a comfortable learning environment without relying on energy-intensive air conditioning.
- This focus on sustainable school designs extends to other infrastructure projects, such as business, real estate, and technology industries, as well as home-and-garden, travel, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, and education-and-self-development.
- Investing in sustainable education infrastructure, like these schools, is an essential step towards a greener lifestyle that prioritizes sustainability, reducing carbon emissions, and ensuring a safer, more stable environment for future generations.
