bioclimatic brick

Another Brick in the Bioclimatic Wall is a research project to develop a brick that can capture water from fog using geometry tuned for condensation.

The brick is a study in how architectural form alone can pull potable water from fog. Most fog harvesting relies on mesh — passive surfaces that catch droplets as wind drives them through. This project asked something else: whether a solid geometric form, shaped to hold its surface below the dew point, could trigger condensation on its own.

airflow

Simulations tested how the openings on the top of the brick relate to airflow across the rest of its surface. The shape of the brick funnels air through and around itself, and the geometry was iterated until that airflow maximized surface contact — the more moist air touching the cooled face, the more water condenses out of it. Autodesk CFD modeled the airflow patterns; the geometry was then refined in procedural design software where the curvature, depth, and opening size could be tuned together.

heat flow

A geometry that pulls air across itself isn't enough. The surface also has to be cold enough to condense the water out of the air. Thermal simulations modeled how heat moves across the brick's surface in different conditions, mapping which faces stay below the dew point through the day. The digital results were checked against thermal imagery from FLIR cameras on physical prototypes.

The brick was developed as part of academic research at UCL Bartlett, 2022. It sits within the studio's wider work on water capture in Las Californias.