The cool brick was inspired by the Muscatese evaporative cooling window, which combines a wood screen, or mashrabiya, and a ceramic vessel filled with water, to passively cool interiors in desert environments:
Comprised of 3D printed porous ceramic bricks set in mortar, each brick absorbs water like a sponge and is designed as a three dimensional lattice that allows air to pass through the wall. As air moves through the 3D printed brick, the water that is held in the micro-pores of the ceramic evaporates, bringing cool air into an interior environment, lowering the temperature using the principle of evaporative cooling.
The bricks are modular and interlocking, and can be stacked together to make a screen. The 3D lattice creates a strong bond when set in mortar. The shape of the brick also creates a shaded surface on the wall to keep a large percentage of the wall’s surface cool and protected from the sun to improve the wall’s performance.
Made me think of those ancient cooling towers, also known as wind catchers, architectural elements which create natural ventilation in buildings.