Energy, especially that employed to sustain us in our living environment using non renewable resources is undoubtedly a crucial cause of the global environmental crisis that we are currently facing. A valid alternative is represented by the solar economy, which, in the words of Michael Pawlyn "could be facilitated through biomimetic inventions, both directly in terms of shaping more efficient renewable energy systems, and in radically reducing our energy use".
Therefore Water skin is a modular design which exploits the energy storage potential of a phase-change-material to offer a passive low-tech approach to domestic hot water production. It is based on an ethos of transparency and simplicity.
Water-skin enables the "democratization" of energy production, in particular through the application of a low tech approach for domestic hot water production, saving not only the costs related, but also reducing CO2 emissions involved, and cutting down the use of other valuable resources.
The adaptability of this modular "skin" to different architectural contexts (from the big social housing developments to small residences in rural areas), and its aesthetic, as a result of the many natural principles that inspired it, aims to raise awareness about renewable energy harvesting, as a pivotal point of new sustainable ways of living.
The effectiveness of this passive solar system depends directly on the solar radiation. Southern latitudes result ideal contexts of application. Moreover a larger scale of this design intervention sees Water-skin contributing not only to hot water production but also to the broader context of "solar climatization". By covering the entire façade, or indeed, "clothing" the building, this modular soalr collector is able to provide effective camouflage to thermal conditions of the exterior environment, involving significant benefits in terms of energy efficiency.
