Is air-con a climate problem?
Maintaining a pleasant temperature with air-con uses lots of energy in operation and in the system’s creation. Is there a better way?
According to the International Energy Agency, the number of heating and airconditioning (HVAC) units is set to triple by 2030. Services such as electrics, plumbing and air-con account for approximately 33% of the total embodied carbon of a typical office building, and as a whole the construction industry contributes a whacking 40% of global carbon emissions.
The University of Technology Sydney has teamed up with BVN Architecture to create a system that offers a 90% reduction in embodied carbon compared with the systems it is designed to replace. Called ‘Systems Reef 2’, it is the world’s first robotically 3D-printed air-diffusion system, and is made from recycled plastic waste that is recyclable at the end of its life.
This system is particularly interesting for two innovations. Firstly the 3D printing includes thousands of tiny tailor-made pores in elongated tubes that slot together to create a networked system. So rather than having fixed ventilation points (under which one unlucky employee may sit and freeze), the tubes distribute the air evenly along their length.
SR2 also uses organic curves which reduce energy loss and encourages air flow compared with hard-angled ducting.
“Air doesn’t move in rightangles,” notes Associate Professor Tim Schork from the School of Architecture at UTS. “So it’s not logical to design air distribution systems with square corners.”