The Climate Conversations: As temperatures rise, do cities need a chief heat officer like they do in Melbourne?

To solve this air-conditioning paradox, architects are turning to cooling solutions used in the past.

“More than 1,000 years ago in Cairo, they invented things called windcatchers, which are still now coming back in the Middle East,” said the National University of Singapore professor.

A windcatcher is a chimney-like structure made of clay, wood, or bricks, constructed on the rooftop of houses, mosques, or storage rooms to harness the cool breeze and direct it downwards towards the interior space.

“Architects are more and more looking at those historic non-mechanical ways … which we relied upon exclusively for centuries (to keep cool),” said the historian.

Beyond building design, Assoc Prof Clancey noted that another solution is to switch to furniture made from materials that can cool temperatures such as rattan. 

In Southeast Asia, rattan is traditionally woven to make wicker weave furniture like chairs, tables and even baskets. 

“Rattan furniture, (is) meant to cool bodies off because it has little air holes all over it,” said Assoc Prof Clancey.

Although plush-cushioned chairs are more comfortable and common these days, he believes rattan furniture should make a comeback.

“We can find little clues in the past about things that we’ve abandoned, which were very common before air conditioning, but the past isn’t a perfect guide to the future, because what we’re experiencing now is unprecedented.”

“We always used to say to ourselves, how did people endure heat in the past? Of course, it was hot in the past, and they didn’t have air-conditioning. But it’s hotter now,” said Assoc Prof Clancey.

The Climate Conversations is a podcast discussing sustainability and climate issues. It is available on all major podcast platforms.