"Terracotta absorbs heat slowly and releases it gradually, which means in winter it can soak up warmth from a small source and radiate it back into a room for hours. In summer, the same material's porosity allows it to draw in water, and as that moisture evaporates from the surface, it pulls heat from the surrounding air. It's the same physics behind why sweating cools you down."
"Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of global energy consumption, and in cold climates like Switzerland, heating eats up a disproportionate share of that number. Yet our systems remain stubbornly split: fossil-fuel heating that shuts off in June, air conditioning that kicks in to replace it. Two separate infrastructures for one continuous problem. Celcius merges them."
"Vallotton isn't presenting Celcius as a nostalgic throwback or a craft exercise. She's making a pointed observation about how we've organized our relationship with the spaces we live in."
Celcius is a terracotta-based heating and cooling system that applies ancient thermal principles to modern climate control. The material absorbs heat slowly and releases it gradually in winter, while its porosity enables evaporative cooling in summer through moisture absorption and evaporation. This single system replaces the current split infrastructure of separate heating and air conditioning systems. Buildings consume nearly 40 percent of global energy, with heating representing a disproportionate share in cold climates. Designer Salla Vallotton's approach merges two separate seasonal systems into one continuous solution, drawing inspiration from historical Alpine masonry stoves while presenting the concept as contemporary design rather than nostalgic craft.
Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News
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