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The Cold Pot, designed by Thibault Faverie, takes terra-cotta to the next level by combining clay and the cooling power of evaporation to create an all-natural air conditioner. Credit: Thibault Faverie.
From the oh-so-hot PowerPot to its cooler counterparts, pots are having the best year ever. (An update and congratulations are in order: During the April 11 episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” the guys from Power Practical did, indeed, score a business deal with “Tank” tycoon and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.)
The Cold Pot, created by Swiss designer Thibault Faverie, is seemingly like any other terracotta flower pot—key word “seemingly.”
Inspired by a more natural way to lower air temps (i.e., evaporation), according to CNET, Cold Pot’s simple design disguises an “internal aluminum radiator system and a blower to circulate air.” In other words, this isn’t your mother’s terracotta. Rather, it’s an all natural air conditioner that combines clay and the cooling power of evaporation to change water into circulating cold air.
“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,” Faverie writes on his website. “On contact with air, the water evaporates. The change from a liquid state to a gaseous one results in the cooling of the object and consequently the inner aluminum pipe, where air circulates.”
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This technical drawing shows how the simple yet sophisticated terracotta pot is put together. Credit: Thibault Faverie.
Designboom reports that low-tech Cold Pot is also low maintenance, requiring a mere half-gallon of water to cool the air up to 10°C/18°F. As a result, it’s an ideal solution for portable (and small-space) cooling.
For some extra cool reading, check out this sustainable and slick clay refrigerator with a double-wall design that keeps food fresh when filled with water.