heat

Leroy Merlin reduces this portable air without works with which to alleviate the heat waves this summer (and also the cold of winter)

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If you are looking for a quick way to air-condition your home without getting into construction trouble or having to call installers, Leroy Merlin has just reduced one of those air conditioning devices that not only saves you the summer, but also the winter. It is about the Equation Cool&Heat 9K portable air conditionerwhich you can buy today for 259 euros. EQUATION Cool&Heat 9k 2236 fg/2150 kcal heat pump portable air conditioner The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A 4-in-1 penguin ideal for any time of the year The great advantage of this portable air conditioner It is its enormous versatility. We are not looking at the typical noisy device (it is not silent, mind you) that ends up collecting dust in the storage room as soon as September ends. By integrating a heat pump systemthis device is capable of becoming an efficient heating system for the winter months. To this, we must add its functions of fan (ideal for sweltering but not extreme days) and dehumidifierwhich makes it a key ally to combat environmental humidity that makes the thermal sensation at home much heavier and more annoying. with his refrigeration capacity of 2,236 frigoriesit is perfect for medium-sized rooms and another of its great assets is its philosophy Plug & Play. Forget about having to call an installer or drill holes in the wall; You just have to place the device near a window, place the hose with the sealing kit included and connect it to the power to start cooling any room in your home. Furthermore, having a compact design, multidirectional wheels and integrated handles, you can easily move it around the house according to your needs, keeping the living room cool during the day and moving it comfortably to the bedroom at night. This portable air conditioner comes equipped with a very intuitive LED display and a remote control so you don’t have to get up from the sofa or bed when changing the mode or speed of the air flow. It also incorporates a Night Mode and a 24-hour programmable timer. ⚡ IN BRIEF: offer for Equation Cool&Heat 9K portable air conditioner today ✅ THE BEST Zero installation complications: You save community licenses, technicians at home, drilling walls and hundreds of euros in labor. It’s just arrive, unfold the window kit and plug it in. Use 365 days a year: The inclusion of a heat pump prevents the device from being a useless “junk” during the winter, guaranteeing the return on investment throughout the year. ❌ THE WORST Sound level… As in all portable air conditioners, the compressor is inside the device itself and not on the façade, which generates a continuous noise level (between 50 and 65 dB) that can bother light sleepers. Efficiency compared to a fixed split… Although it cools quickly and directly, it consumes a little more energy than a fixed inverter system to maintain the same temperature in the long term. 💡 BUY IT IF… You live for rent. It is the definitive solution if your landlord does not allow work to be done or if you do not want to invest money in a property that is not yours. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You need absolute silence in the room to fall asleep, the constant hum of the compressor can be uncomfortable at night. You may also be interested EVVO Clima Silent – Portable Air Conditioner up to 14000 BTU with Heat Pump The price could vary. We earn commission from these links INFINITON | Portable Air Conditioner | PAC-S10 | 3000 Frigorias The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Webedia and Leroy Merlin In Xataka | Silent ceiling fan: which one to buy? Tips and recommendations In Xataka | Best portable air conditioners 2026. Which one to buy and six recommended penguins

What happens to your body during the summer because of the heat

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A couple of nights ago we had a thermal blowout in the city I live in. Many people around me noticed it. They heard the wind blowing against the windows and felt the temperature rise. I told them that I didn’t notice anything, that I always sleep very well. And it’s true, I sleep well. However, the next day I feel like I only slept 3 hours. This is not unusual, since high temperatures not only prevent us from falling asleep. Even if we feel like we’ve been asleep, the reality is that sleeping in the heat makes us wake up more tired for several reasons. Two reasons. There are two main reasons why it is difficult for us to sleep in the heat and, furthermore, we wake up tired. The first is insufficient cooling. At night, our body temperature drops, normally between 0.5ºC and 1ºC. This is essential for us to fall asleep. Therefore, if the ambient temperature is very high, we will not be able to cool ourselves properly. We may manage to sleep, but we will not rest properly. On the other hand, as homeothermic animals that we are, we have mechanisms that help us maintain our temperature within specific ranges, regardless of whether it is hot or cold. Two of these mechanisms, which are also closely linked to each other, are sweating and vasodilation. They are very necessary processes, which occur with more intensity when it is hotter. The problem is that, no matter how essential they are, when they occur too intensely, they can cause us some harm. Exactly, fatigue is one of them. The body is not cooled. Many of our physiological processes repeat periodically in 24-hour cycles known as circadian rhythms. Sleep is the best known of these processes.since every day we get up and go to bed at least once. A region of our brain known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus is the one that detects when it’s time to sleep and induces rest through various methods. For example, when it is daytime, the light that enters our retina tells the suprachiasmatic nucleus that we have to get up, which inhibits the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps us fall asleep. On the other hand, when the light falls, the opposite is done. The release of melatonin is stimulated. The thing is, melatonin is not the only driver of sleep. The suprachiasmatic nucleus also drives body cooling. If it is very hot, it is difficult to lower the temperature, but eventually it is achieved and we will be able to fall asleep. The problem is that during REM sleep, the body’s ability to regulate temperature It is practically deactivatedso we may wake up. Sometimes we don’t realize these awakenings. We feel like we can sleep warm. But we are not resting. Other times we do realize that we wake up and it is even worse. The tension on the floor. Vasodilation occurs to drive more blood close to the skin. This causes more heat to be conducted to that area. On the other hand, sweating is an excellent cooling mechanism. It consists of releasing a liquid composed mainly of water to the surface of the skin; which, once there, must evaporate. And what does that liquid need to evaporate? Indeed, heat. A heat that is extracted from within the body, thanks to this dilation of the blood vessels. This is magnificent. The problem is that excessive vasodilation leads to drops in blood pressurewhich greatly increase our feeling of tiredness. Furthermore, if we do not act accordingly, sweating can cause dehydration, which also makes us feel more tired. Or something worse. The fan may be a better option than air conditioning Solutions. There are many tips for sleeping in the heat, although they are usually insufficient when it is too suffocating. It is best to generate a current of air in the room between doors and windows and, if necessary, turn on a fan. Air conditioning is not so recommended. Taking a warm shower may also be good advice. Never cold, much less hot, as the body will have to invest too much energy to compensate for the temperature. With stifling heat, we are not about to waste extra energy. And, of course, avoiding heavy, alcoholic or spicy foods before bed is also a good option. Unfortunately, with these suffocating nights that we are having to livewe have no choice but to sleep in the heat. These tips can help us rest a little better, although they are not miraculous. You may also wake up tired. When you feel this way, remember the importance of combating climate change. Image | Magnificent In Xataka | These days I’m having a hard time falling asleep because of the heat. But put this device on and sleep soundly

Spain is going to have three heat waves in six weeks. AEMET is clear: it is no longer a wave, it is the climate

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Spain has just signed its start to the warmest summer in the historical series. There it is nothing. Between June 1 and July 15, the average temperature was 3.3 ºC above normal. In these six weeks, we have suffered two official heat waves, an extreme episode that did not become extreme and, according to AEMETwe are already on the rise of the next wave this Sunday. So much so that the heat begins to be the least of it. The central question of 2026 is simple: if we cross the heat threshold three times in five weeks, isn’t something broken in that threshold? In Xataka "It’s brutal": Meteorologists have taken a look at the heat forecasts for next week and they are not optimistic The third wave does not exist yet. I don’t want to mislead anyone. AEMET has issued an information note (it is not yet a special notice) and this is because, although we know that there will be a generalized thermal rise, the criteria remain extremely strict. Spokesman Rubén del Campo talked about temperatures “extraordinarily high” and maximum temperatures of up to 44 ºC in the southern half. But the duration, extent and strength is yet to be defined. What is clear is that, if it were not, it would be just barely. That’s why what happens next week doesn’t change the general picture. Not only would it be three or four extreme heat episodes in six weeks, but some climatologists such as Jorge Olcina They also add the “Saharan advection at the end of May” and speak of four episodes in eight weeks. With old reference periods, we would probably be in those terms. But how explained José Ángel Núñez and Rubén del Campo On the agency’s official blog, the definition is not touched, precisely, to see things like what we are seeing. That is, what the threshold is doing is clearly showing that everything is changing. According to the agency’s own studybetween 2001 and 2025 Spain registered 91 heat waves compared to 43 in the period 1976-2000, and the days under the wave went from 210 to 510. This summer does not fit the threshold, it is true. But it fits perfectly with the trend. In Xataka Today the heatwave begins and the meteorologists are clear: "They paint coarse for the Mediterranean regions of Spain" And that’s the problem. The ISCIII MoMo system, the statistical model that indicates excess mortality, attributed 3,649 deaths to the heat last summer, the second worst figure of the decade. The problem here, as we pointed out a few days ago, is that in 2026 we will already we have spent half of that excess before the dog days begin (the worst part of summer). Meteorology has shown us that, at any moment, the situation can change suddenly. What remains is to wait, but the feeling that the world is changing faster than our adaptations to it has stopped being a fear and has begun to become something very real. Image | Meteociel In Xataka |Neither London nor the United Kingdom: the NASA map that reveals where the grayest sky in Europe is (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news Spain is going to have three heat waves in six weeks. AEMET is clear: it is no longer a wave, it is the climate was originally published in Xataka by Javier Jimenez .

We think that the fan saves us from the heat, but above 35 degrees it achieves exactly the opposite effect.

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With the arrival of high temperatures, the fan becomes a great ally in many homes that cannot have the air conditioning on all day long. When you turn it on, it blows the air into your face and you feel almost immediate relief from the heat, but the reality is that we do not have this effect at any temperature, since there is a point beyond which it not only stops being useful, but can become our worst enemy. It doesn’t cool the air. To understand why a fan can be dangerous, you first have to understand how it works. Just like point out the guidelines of the According to the WHO on indoor temperatures, fans do not lower the temperature of the room even a single degree, since all they do is move the air. The relief we feel is due to a purely physiological mechanism which is the evaporation of sweat. By moving the air around us, the fan accelerates the evaporation of moisture from our skin, which “steals” heat from our body and cools us down. But the problem comes when the air in the room is hotter than our own body. The critical point. The normal temperature of human skin is around 35ºC and thermoregulation systems try to keep it that way. The problem arises when the ambient temperature of the room exceeds that figure, since the fan will begin to move air that is hotter than the temperature of our skin, and instead of dissipating body heat, it will be injecting heat from the environment directly. And it is something that is supported, for example, by the Basque Government’s Heat Plan, which point that fans stop being effective and useful when the air exceeds 35-36 °C. But in the United States they are even more demanding, since the CDC advise against its use above 32.2 ºC. Beyond temperature. Although the general rule says that above 35 ° C you should turn off the fan, science suggests that humidity matters as much or more than temperature. Thus, in dry heat conditions the fan is harmful, since if the air is hot and dry, the sweat evaporates on its own without needing help from the fan. But turning on the fan only pushes hot air against the skin. In the case of being in a humid environment, sweat does not evaporate as well, and that is why we feel ‘sticky’, especially in a coastal environment. In this scenario, the fan does help to break up that layer of humidity, and the Sydney studies showed that they can continue to be beneficial even up to 42°C. The most vulnerable. Despite these data, the highest authority in medical literature review, Cochrane, posted a review in which it points out that there is no high-quality evidence that unequivocally demonstrates that fans reduce the adverse impacts on heat waves. The reason is precisely in the mix of factors such as humidity, age and, above all, the state of health with which we face these high temperatures. But we must focus above all on age, which is a critical factor, since the body’s ability to sweat and thermoregulate decreases with age or with certain medications. This is why a fan can save a young person from trouble, but it can dehydrate and cause heat stroke in an older person under the same conditions. Images | Dương Nhân In Xataka | What science says about the “trick” of two crossed fans to cool the house: it works, but with limits

extreme heat has put parmesan cheese in danger of extinction

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Summer has started strong with a heat wave that has affected all of Europe and experts are already warning that an even worse one is coming. Extreme temperatures not only affect us, animals also suffer from them and it is wreaking havoc on a very important industry in Italy, that of Parmesan cheese. what’s happening. They tell it in Reuters: Extreme heat is threatening the production of the most famous Italian cheese. The maximum temperatures, which can exceed 40 degrees, cause the cows to eat less, spend more time lying down and consequently produce less milk, the main ingredient in this cheese. Specifically, up to 10% less. Cool cattle. Livestock farmers decades ago only had to open the windows of the stables at night so that the livestock could cope better with the heat, but now this is no longer enough. The windows are constantly open and some ranchers have installed fans with water misters to lower the temperature a little more. The energy cost. The problem with installing these fans is that farms have seen their electricity bills increase. It is also being a problem for the companies that store the parmesan wheels, whose air conditioning systems have increased energy consumption by up to 30% more to maintain the optimal storage temperature, but the expense goes beyond the refrigeration itself. Giancarlo Ravanetti is the director of one of these facilities, known as “The Bank of Parmigiano”, and stores half a million wheels of parmesan worth 300 million euros. Speaking to Reuters, he indicated that “To make our facilities as energy efficient as possible, we have improved our cooling and boiler systems, modernized building insulation and increased renewable energy production.” Without grass, there is no parmesan. There are still more problems. Authentic Parmigiano Reggiano is produced in five provinces within the Emilia-Romagna region. To receive the designation of origin, the cows must be fed with grass and hay grown in this area, but with the heat and lack of rain this is an impossible task. The president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium laments that “If it does not rain, the grass does not grow, hay cannot be produced and it is impossible to obtain the milk necessary to make cheese.” A million-dollar industry. Parmesan is not only an icon of Italian cuisine, it is also the industry that supports much of the economy of Emilia-Romagna, where it employs thousands of people. It is estimated that it generates about 4.5 billion euros annually, of which half comes from exports, with the US being its main client. According to Paolo Ganzerli, sales director of the GranTerre food group, the situation is critical: “If extreme events become longer and more intense, they will undoubtedly have an impact on both the quantity and quality of milk, but above all they will cause an increase in costs.” And he adds that “Parmigiano Reggiano has been around for more than 800 years. We don’t want to be the last generation to eat it.” Image | Unsplash, edited Direct to the Palate | How Italians have made Parmesan cheese known (and imitated) all over the world

It’s one of the best sci-fi movies of the 90s, great company for the heat, and it’s on Prime Video

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In 1994 no studio wanted to finance a film about an alien portal with two actors without much success at the box office. Almost 32 years later it is a franchise that includes a series with hundreds of episodes (which, by the way, has already been confirmed not to return, reinforcing the cult status of the film and original series), and a perfect plan for hot summer nights. We talk, of course, about ‘Stargate. Gate to the stars‘, which you can recover in Prime Video. According to producer Dean Devlin, all the Hollywood studios rejected the proposal, claiming that science fiction was no longer of interest to the public. Finally, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer agreed to distribute it to fill a gap in its release schedule, and the small but ambitious production company Carolco Pictures financed the filming, which would end up costing $55 million. In it we will see how an Egyptologist (James Spader) deciphers the hieroglyphs engraved on a ring found in Egypt in 1928 and discovers that it is a portal capable of opening a wormhole to another planet and will begin a journey joined by an army colonel (Kurt Russell). An interesting proposal that, despite the initial cold critical reception, has ended up gaining cult status for its eminently blockbuster (Roland Emmerich would go on to ‘Independence Day’, so he was becoming an expert in the blockbuster genre.) ‘Stargate’ grossed $16.6 million in its premiere, the best opening for the month of October until then, and ended up accumulating $196.5 million worldwide. The commercial success, however, was not enough to ensure a film sequel. Carolco went bankrupt in 1995 because of ‘The Island of Severed Heads’, and the rights ended up in the hands of MGM, which opted to develop a television series, Stargate SG-1, which would last ten seasons and would later give rise to ‘Stargate Atlantis’ and ‘Stargate Universe’. An epic of decades that we can now recover by claiming its taste for adventure in its purest form. In Xataka | One of the best horror and action films of recent years comes to Netflix. Four Oscars certify it

Experts already fear an extraordinary heat wave next week

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“This is brutal. The main models would be hinting at a possible extraordinary Heat Wave next week with maximums of +45ºC and even other values ​​that I dare not mention,” the words of MeteoBadajoz speak on their own. In recent days, the bad news continues to accumulate. It is true that, “for now, it is better to wait, but the insistence is such that it is beginning to be very possible,” continued. And he is right. Let’s see why. What has happened? Since the AEMET weekly prediction points to temperatures above usual for next week, the dispersion of the models has been reducing. That is to say, what was a possibility begins to become a more than plausible scenario. The important thing right now is to distinguish what we know and what we don’t. What do we know? Today, in the words of Roberto Grandathere are already things that we do know: that “38-40 °C will be reached again in many areas” and the heat wave thresholds will be “comfortably” exceeded. What we cannot know is the temperature it will reach, where it will affect precisely and how many days it will last. These doubts are still so strong, in fact, that the two major models do not agree. While the American GFS sees a general and very intense wave, the European GFS concentrates the extreme heat in the eastern half of the peninsula. Be that as it may, it seems that it catches us completely. What we can expect. If the forecasts are confirmed, this extreme heat event would fall on a country (and a continent) that is already experiencing an extraordinary summer: it would be the third heat wave in a month, with the Mediterranean at 26.63 °C (2.6 degrees above normal) and after the second warmest June since 1961. In fact, mortality (as estimated by MoMo of the Carlos III Health Institute), would have amounted to 1,682 attributable deaths since May 1; around 500 of them alone during the five days of the second wave. But weren’t we going to the cold? Just a week ago, the networks were filled with maps that promised “the end of the heat” and we explained why they had to be read with caution. Now we have confirmation of our reading: a 15-day scenario cannot be confused with a prediction. And now what? Now we have to wait for confirmation. In the coming days, the uncertainties will disappear and we will have confirmation (or ruling out). In previous waves, special notices came about four days in advance. Whatever happens, one thing is clear: summer is looking really bad. Image | Meteociel In Xataka | Neither London nor the United Kingdom: the NASA map that reveals where the grayest sky in Europe is

In the middle of the heat wave, there are trains in Extremadura that are running out of air conditioning. For Renfe there is only one culprit: the heat

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It is July 13 and it seems that we have settled into a perennial heat wave. And the forecasts for the coming days are not particularly promising. For this reason, it is still very important to avoid the central hours of the day and those of maximum heat to carry out outdoor activities… and other indoor activities, such as traveling by train. At least, that is what they are denouncing from CCOO, who assure that the Madrid-Extremadura trains travel without air conditioning on a regular basis. a complaint. This is what they have done at CCOO, who assure that “very frequently” the Alvia trains that travel between Madrid and Extremadura are registering failures in the air conditioning systems during heat waves. Miguel Fuentes, Secretary of Mobility of the union, assures in this statement that “this is not a one-off incident, but rather it is something systematic that is occurring in the heat waves of recent years and is creating a painful spectacle that is detrimental to the health of train users and the workers themselves.” Roasts. According to CCOO, these failures are being recorded in the Alvia S730 series trains when “outside temperatures are higher than 35 or 36 degrees.” In that case, they point out, “the air conditioning of several or all of the cars stops working and turns the trains into an oven.” The situation, despite the union’s complaint, is not new. a few days ago, The Extremadura Newspaper I already reported this incident on one of the Alvias that connect Madrid with Badajoz. That day, they point out, the passengers of the affected car were relocated to the free seats of the cars where the air conditioning did work. “In Madrid it was very hot, in Atocha, more of the same, we were looking forward to getting on the train, especially because of the concern of heat stroke and it turns out that the car runs out of air, it was the finishing touch,” said one of those affected by the Extremaduran media. What does Renfe say? In Xataka We have contacted the company who point out that “the trains undergo periodic inspections and are prepared to withstand temperatures between -10° and 40ºC” and that they understand the situation expressed by CCOO. However, they accept the following: “In exceptional circumstances, when outside temperatures exceed 40ºC as in the current heat wave, the train systems can activate automatic protection mechanisms to avoid major breakdowns. This happens because the pressure of the refrigerant gas shoots to critical levels, causing a temporary stop of the equipment until the system stabilizes. During that time, it is not possible to restart the air conditioning, which can generate incidents in the interior temperature of the train” That is, it is so hot outside that the train needs to protect itself to continue running. And when this happens, the train itself has to choose between continuing to move forward despite limiting or eliminating some functions (such as the air conditioning of one or more cars) or moving forward. Have measures been taken? Renfe assures that, without the possibility of modifying the trains, measures are being taken to safeguard the comfort and health of passengers. However, they assure that they are studying new measures that respond to the union’s requests. These measures would, therefore, be an addition to those already applied. According to the company: When these weather conditions occur, the sale of tickets is stopped to leave places free and to be able to relocate passengers. If conditions do not allow safe travel, alternatives are sought such as transferring to a fully air-conditioned train or even traveling by road. A real problem. In Xataka We have explained that heat can generate a real problem for people’s health because “kidnaps the blood”. And when we face very high heat on a sustained basis without barely moving, we are buying many tickets to faint and, if necessary, suffer heat stroke. That is why traveling refrigerated on a train is especially important. They collect in Today that between May and July there are already 15 incidents with the air conditioners that have caused Renfe trains to be left partially or completely without refrigeration. They look at Spain. The news comes just when Spain has been set as an example in countries that live above the Pyrenees. And in Germany, France or Denmark they have observed what Spain, Portugal or Italy are doing in the face of heat waves and What can they apply so that trains are not canceled?. And in these countries the railway service has been suspended because the companies were not able to ensure the health of the passengers. In the region of Bavaria (Germany), 40 degrees were recorded inside some trains. We now know that our trains, at least in part, are also not guaranteed to operate at full capacity. Photo | Falk2 and windy In Xataka | “We have six kilometers that have melted due to the heat”: in the face of extreme temperatures, France needs to Spanishize its roads

don’t make important decisions in a heat wave

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Ted Mosby from ‘How I Met Your Mother’ said that nothing good happens after 2 in the morning and it makes sense because tiredness and sleep are not good advisors. And if you are out and have had a drink, even more so: it is better not to send messages that you will later regret. Well, there is another time when it is better not to make important decisions: when it is very hot. I’m not saying it, science says it. Given how hot it is being this summer that has just begun, it is better to take it easy. Take it easy. In a study carried out by a research team from Monash Business School, they analyzed how temperature affects the ability to make rational decisions. The most striking fact is that it is not the hot days that affect the most, but the nights. More specifically, those with temperatures above 25°C. As we are suffering in our flesh these days, those torrid nights worsen the quality of sleep and the deprivation of rest takes its toll on cognitive performance the next day, especially affecting mathematical tasks necessary to evaluate economic risks. This relationship between sleep and cognition is not new: sleep deprivation impairs executive function, working memory, and impulse control. Why it is important. First, because throughout the day we make many decisions (most of them small) that, accumulated over time, can generate lasting consequences over time. An example: a compulsive purchase instead of saving it. Furthermore, the study shows that this effect distinguishes between social classes: it hits households with lower incomes hardest, where air conditioning (having it or turning it on) is a luxury. Thermal discomfort is not something specific: it is a reality that summers are getting hotter and the heat waves follow one another with greater intensity and they arrive more frequently. Context. For the study they used the Indonesian Family Life Survey, which uses data from thousands of families in the Asian country over years, along with temperature data from NASA satellites. This way they were able to discern daytime temperatures from nighttime temperatures. The work is part of research on climate and economic behavior: there is already evidence that heat lowers our productivity, but aggressiveness and risk behavior also increase. In detail. The mechanism that explains these bad decisions is lack of sleep and/or low-quality sleep. That deprivation It disproportionately affects numerical and calculation skills, more than other cognitive abilities. These mathematical skills are precisely those that support decisions about risk or that have their consequences in different time frames. Yes, but. The study focuses on a single country, with a particular climate and socioeconomic conditions, so extrapolation to other places requires some caution. In addition, there are other factors like pollution, the right hand of heatwhich also affect cognitive performance In Xataka | Your body suppresses your hunger at more than 40 degrees for a reason of pure survival: to prevent you from being “cooked” inside. In Xataka | The silent effect of the extreme heat wave: your usual drugs turn against you Cover | Vladislav Babienko and Immo Wegmann

The heat changes your mood. An Egyptian understood this 40 years ago and designed a town that “sweated” to cool down

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The heat doesn’t just make you sweat: it also changes the way you behave. think, sleep and even relate. For decades we have responded to that problem by filling houses air conditioning. However, long before that was the solution, an Egyptian architect came to a very different conclusion: if heat alters our well-being, perhaps the first thing to change is not the machine, but the building. Thus was born an architecture that seemed to “sweat” to stay cool. The “great” discovery. The life of Hassan Fathy changed in 1941 during a visit to a small Nubian village in the Upper Nile. There he found something that modern architecture had forgotten: houses built with mud that seemed to emerge from the landscape itself and maintained a pleasant temperature even under the scorching Egyptian sun. While the rest of the world associated progress with concrete, steel and glass, Fathy began to wonder why those humble buildings managed to coexist with the climate. far better than modern buildings. Heat is a psychological problem. Fathy understood something that today science relates to heat waves: an uncomfortable home not only consumes more energy, it also affects to rest, to humor and the quality of life. His obsession was never to build spectacular buildings, but rather spaces where the air itself will work in favor of those who lived inside. To achieve recovered centuries of forgotten knowledge: interior patios, narrow streets, lattices, thick adobe walls and systems capable of moving air naturally without the need for engines. Hassan Fathy Buildings that seem to sweat. One of the most striking elements of his designs were wind catchers and evaporative cooling systems. In some buildings he carefully oriented the homes with respect to the sun and the prevailing winds to guide the air inside. In others it made that current pass on wet coal or wet surfaces, causing cooling by evaporation very similar to human sweat. Just as our body uses water to dissipate heat, Fathy’s architecture used mud, humidity and circulation of air to reduce the interior temperature without wasting electricity. Roof and dome of the Kourna Mosque seen from the minaret The modern takes another path. While Fathy advocated mud, adobe and local solutions, much of the Middle East began to copy western models designed for very different climates. From Baghdad to Benghazi, large concrete blocks, wide avenues and glass facades appeared that eliminated shadow and trapped heat. For Fathy that was a misconception: It made no sense to build buildings that first generated a thermal problem and then solved it by installing air conditioning. New Gourna City The best example: an entire city. This is how we arrive at what was his great laboratory: New Gournaa town built near Luxor during the 1940s to relocate hundreds of families. There he applied all your ideas: adobe houses, private patios, winding streets, Nubian vaults, wind collectors and spaces designed according to the path of the sun during the year. Its objective was not only to make housing cheaper for the poorest, but to demonstrate that it was possible to build entire communities. adapted to the climate and not the other way around. New Gourna The problem was never the architecture. Nueva Gourna ended up becoming one of the great paradoxes of the 20th century. Many neighbors covered the wind collectors, closed the patios and replaced the adobe vaults with reinforced concrete because that seemed “more modern” to them. The result was exactly the opposite what they were looking for: homes that are hotter in summer, colder in winter and much more dependent on mechanical systems. Fathy had anticipated it years before: when prosperity comes, the poor tend to imitate the houses of the rich, even if those houses perform worse in their own climate. The New Gourna Mosque The man who was ahead of his time. While his colleagues were building Western-inspired glass skyscrapers, Fathy was seen in Egypt as little less than like an eccentric determined to return the country to the past. However, outside its borders it began to gain recognition as a pioneer of sustainable architecture and received some of the profession’s highest international awards. As time goes by, your ideas they ended up influencing in universities, international organizations and entire generations of architects interested in bioclimatic construction. The answers from 80 years ago. Today, with cities increasingly hit by heat waves, many of the solutions that good Hassan Fathy defended are once again in the spotlight. the center of the debate architectural. Natural materials, passive ventilation, patios, lattices or wind collectors reappear in projects that seek reduce energy consumption without giving up comfort. Even UNESCO works to restore part of New Gourna and preserve its legacy. Not because it represents a historical curiosity, but because it contains a surprisingly current idea: perhaps the most intelligent building is not the one that incorporates the most technology, but the one that makes the heat never comes to become an enemy. Image | Nasrollah koohkanDimitri Papadimos, Marc Ryckaert, Marc Ryckaert In Xataka | In 1970 Japan built homes of the future where each capsule would be replaceable. Half a century later he discovered that no one knew how to repair them In Xataka | The incredible story of the tallest building on the planet that ended up becoming the largest swimming pool in the Soviet Union

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