Daikin to create “icehouse” for World Expo
23rd August 2024
JAPAN: Daikin will be drawing inspiration from traditional icehouses based on sustainable air conditioning systems to keep people cool at next year’s World Expo in Osaka, Japan.
The Japanese air conditioning and heat pump manufacturer will be creating an Ice Cool Spot to combat the midsummer heat during the World Expo from 13 April to 13 October 2025.
The Ice Cool Spot is inspired by the traditional icehouses which were used to store ice throughout the year, prior to the invention of the refrigerator.
The Daikin Ice Cool Spot will incorporate an air conditioning system that combines the ice thermal storage technology that Daikin has developed for its air conditioners with solar power generation.
The cooling will be supplied via radiation from ice panels surrounding the inside of the structure. The surface temperature of the ice panels, made of a transparent acrylic material, will be maintained at 3ºC-8°C
The ice cool spot uses some electricity generated by solar panels. The electricity generated during the day is stored in a storage battery, and ice is made at night when it is cooler.
Traditional Japanese wooden lattice is being used for the walls, creating an open structure that gives the feeling of being outdoors. The green roof-mounted solar panels are designed to blend in with nature.
The Ice Cool Spot will be installed in the Progress Square area located in the southwest of the Expo site. Visitors to the Expo will be able to use the 70m2 structure during the Expo, with benches inside accommodating approximately 30 people at any one time.
