As global temperatures continue to rise, the demand for air conditioning is set to increase dramatically, potentially tripling energy needs by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). With around two billion air conditioning units worldwide, many experts warn that while they provide immediate relief from heat, they also exacerbate global warming by releasing heat into urban environments. The article explores whether innovative architectural designs and energy-efficient technologies can help reduce the reliance on air conditioning. Prominent architects advocate for passive cooling methods and mixed-mode systems to create sustainable solutions, emphasizing that smart design choices can maintain indoor comfort without excessive energy consumption.
With global temperatures rising, the world’s air-conditioning (AC) addiction is intensifying. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that roughly two billion AC units are already in operation around the world, but that by 2050 two-thirds of the world’s households are likely to own a unit. It has warned that this widening usage could see global energy demand for cooling triple in that time. The global banking system is also predicting a dramatic increase in the use of air conditioning in the coming years. That leaves the world facing a catch-22 situation, in which people’s increasing need to keep cool makes it harder to transition away from the fossil fuels whose use is driving global warming.
Moreover, while AC is a solution for cooling interiors, the exterior units pump out warmth – making cities even hotter. “Unfortunately it solves one problem while feeding another,” Italian architect and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Carlo Ratti told Dezeen. “Each degree pulled from the air consumes power and pushes heat into the street, making public spaces less liveable.” “Air conditioning in response to [warmer temperatures] is just making things worse,” added Richard De Dear, a researcher and professor at The University of Sydney whose work focuses on thermal comfort and building performance. However, says De Dear, increasing air-con dependency does not have to become the major issue feared by some. “The rise in the use of air-conditioning probably is inevitable, but it needn’t be as big a problem as the current trajectory would suggest,” he told Dezeen.
When it comes to new buildings, even in hot climates, the right design can reduce the need for AC. Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré is known for buildings that rely on passive methods, such as building orientation, natural ventilation and shading, to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. “We must rethink the way we build so that cooling is not the default but the last resort,” he told Dezeen. “We need to find alternative solutions instead of building a glass box that requires mechanical cooling to stay comfortable.” In hot and dry climates like Burkina Faso, the use of passive strategies is nothing new and remains a key solution for maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures, says World Green Building Council technical lead for sustainable buildings Carolina Montano. “From my experience, air conditioning can be avoided in most locations,” she said. “And good building design can definitely avoid, to an extent, the use of air conditioning.”
Nevertheless, there are more extreme climates in which passive ventilation strategies are less effective, and for these places AC will remain “the easiest and fastest” solution as global temperatures continue to reach record levels, admits Montano. For buildings that have already been constructed, avoiding AC may be trickier. This is particularly true in Europe, where AC usage is currently relatively low and buildings are not designed to withstand extreme heat. But the continent is the fastest-warming region globally, and summer heatwaves are already posing very real and urgent public health concerns. “Research shows that above 23 degrees Celsius, sleep falters, concentration slips, tempers shorten,” Ratti said. “In long heatwaves, the stakes rise: without cooling, lives are lost – as Europe has been increasingly experiencing over the past decade.”
“The need for air conditioning is now very serious in Europe,” said Wong Mun Summ, founding director