Comfort without conflict is a project which studies the genesis of the air-conditioning industry. It opens the dialectic of air manipulation for the purposes of personal comfort in the private space, in the process of which the air apparatus emits harmful elements in our immediate environments. It also brings to light on how air conditioning poses a social problem limiting social interactions to air-conditioned spaces as opposed to open public spaces.
The background is set to understand what comfort means for lesser privileged areas on the globe where the concept of air-conditioning is not as ‘polluted’ as it is in urbanized areas. With these notions in mind the challenge is to build a prototype of a bonding module on the underlying concept of passive cooling with emphasis on community development and social interaction. This approach is an attempt to tackle the social and the environmental effects of an air-conditioned space highlighting the private-public space conflict created by the air-conditioner. Today Air-conditioned space has taken precedence over the non-airconditioned open public space right from our houses to malls, theatres, restaurants et all. The comfort of conditioned air is creating micro-environments within 4 walls which arguably result in social interaction being confined to closed conditioned spaces. After all one must contemplate the fact that the air-conditioning apparatus while comforting our private space releases harmful gases onto this very outdoor public space. It’s not the first time we have been limited to our private spaces, history is proof of the human race’s negligent and collective idiosyncrasies which lead to events such as the pollution crisis of London in the 1950’s, New York in the 1960-70’s and China till date which pose as long-standing evidences for us to realize that we cannot take the ‘air we breathe’ for granted.
The focus of the project is on communities in rural areas of Africa and Asia where the air-conditioner has not reached yet, primarily due to either economic factors or other technical reasons. As we are educated about the inimical effects of mechanical air conditioners the question arises, is there a way to still ensure air quality without comprising on the environment and social quality, can we still effectively design for ‘Air to breathe’ without suffocating it with unfavorable gases. The objective is to create air-conditioned space by the community for the community using indigenous materials and employing various local professions whereby promoting social interaction for building the new air-conditioning system. Handmade as opposed to mechanical and interactive as opposed to confined. The goal is to attain comfort without conflict: conflict with the environment nor conflict with society.
Research Undertaken at the Harvard Graduate school of Design. Interdisciplinary Art and Design Practices (2016)
1.Bring the outdoors right into your home Advertisement for GE air conditioner 1968. Source : General electric corporation / Commercial print advertisement
2.Ad by the Westing house AC company, highlighting the private-public space distinction. Source : Westinghouse Air-conditioning company / Commercial print advertisment
Source : Junstin Zhuang, Flickr, Debate : Should Air-conditioning become uncool?
Prototype of a passive water cooled wall system, using fundamentals of evapourative cooling
Conceptual application of Passive cooling wall system. Photo of project by Rintala Eggerton architects. Source : http://www.ri-eg.com/
Indian potters stack earthen lamps on a hearth to harden them, ahead of Diwali festival in Allahabad, India. A lot of regions in Asia and Africa still depend on clay as their sole livelihood. Source : emirates247.com / Potters make earthen lamps.
Making of the clay funnel using the hand throwing technique
Fabrication using the mold technique
Clay funnel form exploration.
Prototype of the built block : Clay funnel fit in a plexi-glass box filled with straw with weep holes on top and bottom for water
Working principle
Project presentation using projection mapping