CartujaQanat: Recovering the street life in a climate changing world. Bioclimatic lattices and confinement of air in exterior conditions

Abstract

CartujaQanat represents the necessity to rethink the way our cities are conceived as time passes by and the world evolves. Current and future needs demand up-to-date solutions that combine the knowledge obtained from experience and tradition with innovative research. Cities have the responsibility to contribute to a better environment for their inhabitants while minimizing resource consumption. Passive techniques and bioclimatic solutions have significant benefits for the health and well-being of humans, making them ideal when properly adapted to their suitable climates. Keeping this in mind, CartujaQanat pursues the creation of open-air spaces that provide a comfortable environment in hot and dry weather conditions with minimal negative impacts. Strategies developed for the project utilize water as a heat transfer fluid in open and closed systems to enable the acclimatization of exterior spaces. The project includes the use of physical barriers in the form of bioclimatic lattices that act as a solar screen, enabling natural ventilation and providing a certain level of confinement to the air. These effects are enhanced with the hygrothermal capabilities of water, which is incorporated for direct and indirect evaporative cooling as well as thermally activated elements.