The unique "Lotus Building": why even in the summer heat air conditioning is not needed here

In the wake of increasing environmental friendliness and lowering energy costs, architects are increasingly offering innovative solutions for the construction of modern buildings. One of these engineering masterpieces is the Lotus Building in Changzhou, China. Moreover, this is not a shopping center or a luxury hotel, but the building of municipal authorities, which houses the Department of Urban Planning and conference rooms.

According to the idea of Australian architects, The Lotus Building, consisting of three parts, symbolizes three stages in the life of a lotus flower: a bud, an opened flower and a box with seeds. To achieve the greatest resemblance to the lotus, the city hall was placed in the middle of an artificial reservoir. Outwardly, it looks very impressive, and evening illumination turns the "Lotus Building" into a real work of art. But the main highlight of this amazing structure is hidden under water.

It will seem incredible, but under the water of an artificial lake there are two more underground floors of the Lotus Building, and the reservoir itself has an important energy-saving function. The fact is that the water in the lake acts as an air conditioner: it cools the building in the summer heat and heats in the cold season.

About 2,500 special geothermal blocks were driven into the base of the artificial reservoir during construction. With the help of them, the room is cooled in the summer when the ambient temperature is much higher than the water temperature. Special pipes have been laid throughout the building, which act as natural ventilation and reduce the consumption of electricity by air conditioners.

Such buildings prove that reducing energy consumption and thereby reducing, albeit not by much, emissions into the atmosphere and depletion of natural resources is a perfectly feasible task for modern mankind.