When interests collide: My love of water and fascination with ancient architecture. 

I have always been fascinated by, and attracted to, water.

My parents would vouch for the fact that I immediately seek out the nearest body of water whenever we have the opportunity to travel… whether that be the warm Caribbean Sea, the stunning beaches of the Hamptons, or the cold glacial lake water in the Adirondacks in Upstate New York. And as a child, they could never get me out of the bathtub!

My natural curiosity and desire to learn has led me to study various subjects of interest in STEM disciplines, and through my university studies I have discovered a genuine passion for ancient architecture and the associated technology and building techniques. 

I’m a huge fan of interdisciplinary research (i.e. combining strategies and information from across disciplines), which leads me to introduce an unlikely connection to our Ocean, or more correctly water, that I discovered while researching the “Scirocco rooms” of Sicily, Italy.

How water was used to cool scirocco rooms hundreds of years ago. 

The “scirocco rooms” are not rooms in the commonly understood sense, but rather man-made, underground caves. From the art historical perspective, they are important social gathering spaces.

Scirocco rooms were mainly constructed and used in the city of Palermo and rely on ancient technology to facilitate passive cooling. 

During the summer, the dry and sandy Scirocco Winds from the Sahara Desert in Africa blow across to Sicily and send temperatures skyrocketing … to upwards of 40°C! Hence the need for a naturally cooled space, especially before the invention of air conditioning. These “rooms” were lavishly decorated in the 16-19th centuries and used as an escape from the sweltering heat of the summer months.

What is passive cooling anyway?

It is the process of naturally cooling the air flowing through a space without the use of external power or energy. So, the natural cooling properties of convection currents, properties that are hugely amplified in the presence of water, created a comfortably cooled space. 

How passive cooling works in a scirocco room: 

• Water flows from a natural spring across the terrain of Palermo to the scirocco room. Amazingly, the clay terrain naturally filters the water, and when it arrives in homes, farms or scirocco rooms it is sparkling clean! 

• The natural course of the water (flowing entirely due to gravity) is diverted into scirocco rooms through man-made canals designed after the Ancient Persian structure called qanat (process explained later in diagram).  

• The flow of convection currents is enhanced by the evaporation of the water in the canals, cooling the air more and at a faster rate. It’s like when you hop out of the pool in cool weather, you are instantly shivering. 

• The water is also directed to fountains, pools, and artificial waterfalls. This not only created a pleasant atmosphere aesthetically in scirocco rooms but also made it comfortably cooler for guests. 

So, we can see that the power of water, found everywhere around us and flowing naturally through all sorts of terrain, can be used as a sustainable cooling mechanism, thanks to the natural principles of physics.  

The Ancient Persian technology used to cool scirocco rooms includes qanat (the Arabic word for ‘canal’), to divert water, and “wind-towers”. The “wind-towers” act as the main point of hot air expulsion. These two features are still widespread and regularly used in the Middle East, such as in the city of Yazd in Iran. 

Take a look at the diagrams below to see how these “wind-towers” work and how they amplify the convection currents. 

Here’s what I would like you, dear reader, to take away from my exploration: 

By sharing my research through various formats, including now through this Wavemaker Story, I would like to encourage all readers to uncover any and all of the  wonderful and exciting connections to our Ocean… however unlikely and niche they may seem… and share this with those around you, because you never know how, or who you may inspire.  

I discovered the amazing power of water in a completely un-STEM-related context. I was able to dive deep into the history and science of the use of water in architecture and find that water tied generations of Sicilians together through this architecture.  

Our Ocean, and water specifically, hold great potential for ecological and sustainable solutions to current pressing issues as in the case of passive cooling. Our ancestors knew this quite well and I believe there is much to learn from pre-industrial societies. 

Thank you for raising your voice for the Ocean, Sana!

Learn about how to submit your own Wavemaker Story here.

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Post by

Sana Lamy

Sana has always loved being in the water, although the Ocean was somewhat daunting. However, once she learned a bit more about deep sea creatures and the mechanisms behind hydraulic energy, the Ocean became a great fascination! She is pursuing master's studies at the University of Cambridge (U.K.) and researching the interconnection between the power of water and it's importance to the visual culture of early-modern (16-18th centuries) Europe.