How India lattice buildings dey cool without air con

Di architectural reference to di Taj Mahal dey immediately noticeable wen you enta di Microsoft office for Noida, northern India.

E dey clean and soaked in ivory white dem mark am wit beautiful arches and "jaali" – perforate lattice screens – di office na both visual ode to di grandeur of di Taj Mahal and state-of-di-art workplace.

Streams of light enter di complex jaali screens, create one sublime effect of lighting and depth. 

Along wit energy-saving lights, dis architectural feature dey help keep di building carbon footprint low and na one of di reasons why di office get Leed (Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design) platinum rating, di US Green Building Council highest sustainability certification.

Di term jaali, wey mean net, dey used for Central and South Asia. Cut from marble or red sandstone for ornamental patterns, jaali na one distinct architectural feature for India between di 16th and 18th Century. Di exquisitely carved jaalis of di Taj Mahal, wey dem build for di Indian city of Agra for di mid-17th Century, create one rhythmic blend of solids and voids, concave and convex, lines and curves, light and shadows. 

Di Hawa Mahal, or "Wind Palace", wey dem build for 1799 by Rajput rulers for Jaipur, get 953 windows wit lattice screens wey dem design to let in one gentle breeze.

 As well as adding artistic flair to buildings, dis lattice screens "allow di air to circulate, protect [di buildings] from sunlight and provide curtain for privacy," Yatin Pandya, one architect wey specialise for heritage conservation and author of some books about sustainable design, tok.

 Now, for dia search for sustainable cooling solutions, architects dey revive dis ancient design to construct comfortable, low-carbon buildings.

Di building sector get major climate problem. Emissions from buildings hit dia highest-ever level for 2019, dis one account for 38% of global CO2 emissions. 

Cool buildings fit be especially energy intensive – and di number of air conditioning units dey expected to more dan triple worldwide by 2050, e dey consume as much electricity as all of India and China today.

For di same time, heatwaves dey become longer and more intense around di world. India in particular bin experience series of intense heatwaves dis year, wit temperatures wey reach one record 49C (120F) for Delhi for May.

Jaali cut di direct heat wey dey enter for one building by breaking down di total square metres of one kain window into one number of small holes. 

For traditional jaali, di holes dey almost exactly di same size as di thickness of di marble or sandstone, Pandya tok. 

"Dis thickness dey work to reduce di direct glare of sunlight as e dey allow diffused illumination," e tok.

Jaali cooling feature rely on di Venturi effect for similar way to one air conditioning unit. 

"Wen air dey pass through holes, e go pick up velocity and penetrate far. Sake of di small apertures, air dey compress and wen e dey released e go dey cooler," Pandya add.

Di headquarters of Punjab Kesari newspaper for New Delhi fuse traditional Indian jaali architecture wit contemporary design features. 

E dey designed by Studio Symbiosis, di building dey wrapped for one perforated white, glass-reinforced concrete facade wey show di traditional jaali screen. 

All dis one aim na to increase natural lighting, reduce heat and increase cross-ventilation, Britta Knobel Gupta tok , co-founder of Studio Symbiosis, wey don win some awards for dia design. 

Oda kontries dey also take note of di benefits of jaali.

Di Hispasat Satellite Control Centre for Madrid, Spain, get similar design wit di aim to control solar radiation and increase indoor comfort.

Di lattice for dat building offer three different densities of openings, wey dey helep filter light and reduce di Sun glare.

Although jaali dey experience revival, e get some caveats to overcome.

Worry dey about weda holes for di facades dey shield occupants enough from pests and insects. To avoid dis, one glass or pest screen fit dey placed in front of di jaali.

Meanwhile, to move or kinetic facades dey sometimes involve time-consuming design and fabrication processes and dey expensive as dey involve technological investment.

However, di benefits open gateway for further explorations, so e go increase energy efficiency.

Oda kontries dey also take note of di benefits of jaali.

Di Hispasat Satellite Control Centre for Madrid, Spain, get similar design wit di aim to control solar radiation and increase indoor comfort.

Im lattice offer three different densities of openings, wey dey help filter light and reduce di Sun glare.

Although jaali dey experience revival, e get some caveats to overcome.

Worry dey about whether holes for di facades dey shield occupants enough from pests and insects.

To avoid dis, one glass or pest screen fit dey placed in front of di jaali.

Meanwhile, to move or kinetic facades dey sometimes involve time-consuming design and fabrication processes and dey expensive as dey involve technological investment.

However, di benefits open gateway for further explorations so e go increase energy efficiency.