Air conditioning with wind, sun and water: Ben Bronsema at TEDxDelft

Whoever said that "it's not easy being green", must have known what he or she was talking about. Of course, science has made some remarkable progress over the last decade when it comes to clean energy, but how many of those developed clean energy models have actually been integrated within the architecture of our homes and offices? (Power sockets excluded.).
We can hear you think, that stationing a big eco-friendly power plant on your rooftop would perhaps be a little too much, but somewhere in the nearby future you could consider to let nature take over the office building you work in!
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@mhchoudhurymd]

Thanks for such a great concept. Just what I am looking for. Wonderful for the people who are in remote places with limited resources ! Love it.

[@marconunes864]

Congrats to all Ben's team and for innovate without age borders!

[@genieconsult]

Dr. Benjamin, Many thanks for your clear presentation, stay always young in hart en way of knowledge. ir. Gelde MJ Nieuwenhuijzen

[@howtosavewithkitchen]

"it's not easy being green" but its fun and very helpful..

[@engserfchiangmai803]

yes! ......not to mention that it's also spiritually uplifting & empowering : )

[@TheCiaMKultra]

Kermit the 🐸 would agree!

[@pepper669]

Very nice talk!

[@williambhoe]

I am watching this video while it is 8 years old. Why are we not seeing these buildings anywhere? It makes much better sense!

[@Oasis_Desert_Rose]

BRAVO!!!!!

[@abdulsamade8538]

Hi Ben... its my pleasure to see your presentation its my dream as well, Its really great work, I'm having an interest of getting every thing at home from natural resources zero in zero out self-sufficient houses moreover a productive houses, organic foods, healthy ,I'm a one person who believe on this dream I know it is huge and I should decompose it into small projects, but I don't know how to get people convinced with the whole project , to give a budget to realize these things is a proposal sufficient? Is it the media? etc...Thanks in advance..

[@mosh1986]

need this for my room. should downscale it.

[@robinmead5826]

This is an old fix to a constant problem. We used to have these water cooling units on the top of our buildings. Electricity was necessary, when the wind didn't blow, and it was also necessary for the blower. I like the design of a hole in the center of the building to circulate air.

[@mgm2008]

Add solar powered blowers 2 not need as much electricity. And you could even add batteries that the solar panels are charging to use when the sun is not strong.

[@nathanchildress5596]

Indeed, a solar powered cooling tower would be great

[@CUBETechie]

Can this special roof be used also as a part of Wind power plants? Does it help to increase the harvest of energy?

[@wino0000006]

I didn't meet anybody who would complain about air conditioning during hot summer. The ventilation systems have silencers in canals, the air flow velocity can be set up. Heat pumps are quite common. But what he didn't mention is the borderlines for project that determine building height, size, type, surroundings, local law regulations etc - it all has impact on the shape of the building.

[@PaulvanDruten]

Ben... Held!

[@MaxMisterC]

First I thought "South African" then, sounds like Sean Connery.... And finally I settled, correctly, on Dutch!

[@Halopa60]

It was the photograph of Schiphol airport terminal that resolved the question for me.

[@Percyfaith7]

As home owners we recently had a HVac project and I went looking for 'healthy duct work' and a 'healthy HVac system'. I have determined that a 'healthy HVac System' is like 'healthy building materials' both are oxymoron's.

[@gilcyrilfernandez5172]

Where can we find his research for more detail? He mentioned it was funded by tax money. It is available to public right?

[@WiFiTubeTV]

nope, research funded by tax money is ironically not available to the public. You have to pay to access it or you can have free access if you're a research students at universities.

[@paulholtslag1564]

@@WiFiTubeTV Wrong. I have the book which Ben has written, his thesis, just look for it..

[@Shaiifalii]

Please tell me where I can find it?

[@muhammadusama6173]

@@paulholtslag1564 where can I find it?

[@shrishailappajogur7655]

Wet the Rcc roof top by water in summer and rainy season it cools your house and increases life of RCC ROOF it causes precipitation thunder storm eventually causes rain.

[@shefayetchowdhury6316]

Brilliant 👍🏼If you are interested in this, then you should also look for and is available. The Wind-catchers of Medieval Cairo and its Secrets.

[@adakhochalai]

Detailed animated 3d working digram would make understanding easier

[@noeraldinkabam]

Alexander you could do some research: google?

[@Contemporarywise]

Good energy

[@fatmamhiri8370]

Hello everybody , Is there any version with french subtitles ?it Will help me too much thank you a lot!! 😊😊

[@nitaytalyosef5468]

don't know if you seen (or if it's still relevant), but there is french subs now :)

[@carpenter1274]

We need to start living under ground or mimicking underground building. The pyramids and other old buildings were so thick it is like being underground. Underground is a good temperature for us. Catacombs are cool in temp. They knew back then

[@terrafirma9328]

Problem is, it's more expensive to do so as well as more dangerous. Look at mining. A better, safer, cheaper system of building down will have to be done. Look at Elons tunnels project for his hypertrain.

[@bedahkasusremajaofficial]

I think for implementation for actual condition is not simple, I understanding the concept, the cooling effect is due to the latent heat that needed to change the liquid phase to steam phase of water. and the heat is taken from the air that passed trough the water. after the air trough the spray water the air become colder then inject to the room, with the same time the air became humid (the humidity) increase and this condition will limit to change the process of phase changes (from water to steam) and make the cooling effect will also stop. For big capacity of cooling load i think this concept can not be implemented for instance cooling load 250 Ton refrigeration up, cause the cooling effect that produced by this concept will not enough.Cooling effect is produced by latent heat of water.

[@tmlongkumer]

Am planning to build a single story house in a tropical area how do I apply this natural air conditioning without heating as it is a hot climate

[@terrafirma9328]

Dig a tunnel below ground where the temps are cooler. In this underground tunnel place a coil of pipe to run water through and into a heat exchanger system. it's called geothermal.

[@CUBETechie]

The Austrian movie archive was build from wood and have a stable temperature which is necessary. Erwin Thoma researched with experts from BMW and look how ants build their nests

[@harsyanawawi8246]

For the love of God, give this man a glass of water

[@cordellscott]

haha. I know right?

[@thugpug4392]

He's Dutch that's how they sound

[@TheKavindraM]

Where did he spend the million Euros?

[@akintoye-ilori]

I’m just thinking about chimney effect in case of fires.

[@CUBETechie]

This man should talk with Erwin Thoma i think they could create something beautiful together.

[@harsh65971]

Check out wind catchers of yazd

[@zdenekbenedikt9900]

I watched the whole video, but I'm not sure I caught an explanation of how termites keep their hills (or whatever their structures are called) at constant temperature. I would really like to know.

[@noeraldinkabam]

Zdeněk Benedikt google.

[@jacekgraf3620]

It seems their orientation (long wide sides E-W, narrow sides N-S) helps create difference in temperatures. Basically until midday sun will heat up one side, whilst the other will remain in shade and relatively cooler. This will cause air convection inside the mound due to difference of air density between sides and interior vs exterior. Sun is in fact powering their air conditioning and in more shaded/forested environment it's more difficult to control inside temperature.

[@carolined5923]

The Egyptians created wind catchers still used in Iran today and hundreds of years old

[@iamwhatiam2348]

You had a very rare type of wife. Very Sorry for your loss

[@amibowman7833]

Wow, termites are natural climate control architects and engineers? What incredible luck! Many of our buildings ALREADY have climate control colonies incorporated within their structures! Hooray!🙆😏

[@Resologist]

Simple question that he doesn't answer: What happens to all of that "moist water vapour" that comes from the water cascade? It cools the air in the summer and preheats it in the winter, (that's understood). However, where does all of that water vapour go to? Are you using it the "humidify" the building? It could get very uncomfortable to have a relative humidity about 75 percent. No fans to help circulate that air? Water vapour is lighter than air, so it would easily accumulate in the upper floors, (very muggy, even if the temperature is low). Unless you have an arid (dry) climate, you should also be looking at "dehumidification"; but, it's not mentioned in this presentation. Those termite mounds are usually found in arid climates, (not in the Netherlands).

[@Percyfaith7]

We are so used to 'air' conditioning that we are handicapped and I have no idea how one can remediate from our turn from nature.

[@terrafirma9328]

Air conditioners used sealed tubes to control the moisture and humidity, in his design it would need a sealed chamber of sort.

[@Ricardo-fv2qi]

I'm just gonna say 6:08

[@devanshithakuriya9221]

Architects too are rational and logical, engineers are taught students, architects are educated ones, ya only if they take their job seriously.

[@cfgp]

14:11 outdoor air quality is, unfortunately, not good in most places in the world

[@razmiihsan8897]

I don't think this could be applied in hot humid climate.

[@fabiolopesdasilva9103]

Delft is Vermeer's birthplace.

[@carinwiseman4309]

Too much lead in. Description rushed, diagrams not labeled. Would have liked to really understand what he was describing. I think the only people that could get anything out of this talk would be those that already ibderstand all the systems he describes.

[@Halopa60]

Yes but it's a TEDx Talk so it serves to boost the ego as well.

[@Lashas83]

Funny.. This technique was actually practically and is still being used in middle east since ancient times. You can google for wind catchers.

[@wilwad]

I have always been interested in this. Seems to be a hard thing. I don't like man's air-conditioning technology

[@yhumicamasis4854]

the engineer are responsible ow common tell it to Walter Gropius and legendary Architects.

[@fusionsportdaily1650]

No person who lives in Phoenix Arizona does not complain about air conditioning. We need artificial air conditioning here during the summer. Why? Well even at night it doesn't cool down. It holds the heat. There is no cool air breeze here. For inventers like this guy. You should live a year or two in Arizona and think about natural air conditioning here. But nothing about AC bugs me other than the energy bill here in Phoenix.

[@frauchen9864]

9:42

[@alterego157]

But that's not how termites do it, is it? They don't use any fancy tech.

[@gulay4u]

but humans are not termites, so...

[@coolterminator99]

they need to preserve temperature at some exact point, because of the fungus they grow inside, we use tech to manipulate the temperature, you do not want it to be always too cold.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Ah, the first air-conditioning comedian! ;-)

[@robinhyperlord9053]

???

[@hasannamir1766]

The first idea 💡 was okay the second was not so

[@karthikckrishna]

Moved

[@harsh65971]

This system doesn't work at night

[@naominjeri7720]

Africans have been building like this for thousands of years.

[@josephzoumadakis7734]

why is running water used to power fans pumps etc control water flow

[@tsponge101]

Disappointing talk. He basically described evaporative cooling with a solar chimney for air flow. I was looking forward to something new. Also notice how he hides his one hand when talks about receiving the funding, I don't think he believes he spent the money well.

[@Halopa60]

Yes but incorporating those design principles resulted in a 40-60% reduction in energy consumption and don't forget the power generation produced by the building via wind and solar PV accounts for all or nearly all the remaining energy needs of the building. Obviously is a great step in the right direction. What we need now is for close minded and stubborn architects to start promoting this to their clients.

[@terrafirma9328]

Statistical Data, the new con.

[@CaptCrewSock]

I am an HVAC contractor and every now and again when one of my customers is faced with a difficult problem with their HVAC plant I will sometimes joke when offering them a solution and say “well I figured out your problem...you need to relocate your building away from your air conditioner.” However in this case you would have to literally do so if you were done dealing with a system like this. 😃

[@osf5441]

Congratulations, you've spent a lot of money and human power to develop a system that Persians made 2000 years ago

[@Halopa60]

You forget about the power generation aspect.

[@mazlumdogan7960]

@@Halopa60 put 1 wind turbines on the roof, you are good

[@RealityTrailers]

Nothing impossible until ignorance says so.

[@frankscott1708]

The polite chuckles are annoying.

[@m_m_m_m_m_m_m_m_m_m_m]

Never give a lecture while chewing gum... That's simply not polite.

[@davearonow65]

This dudes mouth noises are making me want to puke. Can't get past the first minute.

[@fijianz1]

Or you could go to Iran who have used wind catcher conditions since ancient times and still used today. They even used it to make ice in the middle of deserts🧊