cooling terracotta pot

This terra cotta pot is much more than it seems at first. It isn’t just a decorative item; it cools the air in your home through a concept called bio-air conditioning. The Cold Pot was created by Zurich-based designer Thibault Faverie, and it cools your home with far less electricity than an air conditioner would use.

how the cooling pot works

The warm air is drawn into the terra cotta pot by a small fan in the Cold Pot’s aluminum core. The water inside the Cold Pot is absorbed by the terra cotta and drawn to the outer surface, where evaporation releases the cooled water in its gaseous state. The outgoing air is an impressive 48-50 degrees F (8-10 degrees C) cooler than the room temperature.

terracotta air conditioner kit

Although the addition of the fan is new, the clay-pot-as-air-conditioner concept has been used for thousands of years. Despite its remarkable and simple functionality, the Cold Pot requires little maintenance or effort on the owner’s part. It takes only a little over a half gallon (two liters) of water to make it work. Besides being functional and elegantly simple, the Cold Pot is a truly attractive item that will look much better sitting on the floor of your living room than that plastic oscillating fan you usually use to cool off.

cold pot by thibault faverie

“Cold pot is a terracotta pot inspired by natural system to gradually lower the air temperature through the process of evaporation. Based on the ‘bio air-conditioning’. The porous terracotta surface acts as a heat exchange; it absorbs water from the inside and sends it to the outer surface. On contact with air, the water evaporates. The change from a liquid state to gaseous one results in the cooling of the object and consequently the inner aluminium pipe, where air is circulates. It is low maintenance, and requires just two liters of water.”