Index Project: The CoolAnt Beehive

    The CoolAnt Beehive is an air conditioning solution in response to global warming which serves to cool the environment without contributing to further carbon emissions. It doesn't require power or fuel! It's an ingeniously designed set of stacked terra-cotta pots which works to cool the room by letting water evaporate over them. 

    This Index Project captured my attention because I have seen similar systems made out of cardboard which work in greenhouses. The idea that this invention serves multiple purposes and can be used in the living space is intriguing to me because I think it's not only functional but beautiful. I imagine the sound of the water and the cool air wafting off this visually appealing work of art. It would be like having a fountain in your home! 

    I also wonder about the other aspects of this invention. The article says that it helps to create jobs by giving local potters recognition and demand for their work which I think is lovely,  I wonder if this could be upheld if a need one day arose for CoolAnt Beehives to be mass produced. I also wonder about the environmental impacts of the water required for this system to function. Can it be recycled? Or is it solving one environmental issue by furthering another? 

    This project definitely factors into the idea of Linear Thinking which we were discussing in class today. I never would have thought to use a pot, something that is usually designed as a container, to instead function as an air conditioner! Even the orientation of the pots within the beehive is different from their normal function, usually a pot will not hold something if placed on its side! But in this instance it works to create a different result.