Architectural language and air conditioning

The classical language of architecture was shaped as a response to the inclement weather with the technology of the time; the gable of the Greek temple speaks of the slopes needed to shelter from the rain; the mouldings are configured as drips to prevent it from slipping inside; while the columns are modulated to allow light to pass through in an age without glass. In contrast, the modern movement adopted the white cube as the ultimate expression of technological superiority that makes architecture independent of the climate. The white cube is possible because there is waterproofing, glass, heating, air conditioning, and because of the energy of oil and coal, which at the time were considered inexhaustible. Today we know that there are limits to that superiority, that energy is expensive, that oil is running out, and above all that its greenhouse gas emissions threaten our survival. We also know that air conditioning is not just about regulating temperature, but also the amount of oxygen and CO2, humidity, suspended particles, volatile organic compounds, fungi, bacteria and viruses. We must devise an architectural language in response to climate change. We must condition the air with architecture. In this conference we will present works from our office in which the effort to condition the air with the minimum energetic effort generates architectural language.