Cactus Cool Buildings

Cacti are a good source of ideas for desert living.

They manage to stay cool in a broiling climate. Look at the building on the left and you can see some of the ideas that make these plants a cool model for building design.

See the sort of fuzzy objects sticking out from the building? Those mimic spikes on a cactus and form a thicket of shade down the side of the structure. The swollen shape, with a smaller top and wider middle, leaves the lower part in shade during the hottest part of the day when the sun is directly overhead.

Cacti also seal up during the day, and do their breathing at night, when the desert cools. These ideas — from the shape to the spikes to air systems that refresh at night — are being used in scorching climates to help buildings keep cool.
Source: www.chirp.wildcentre.org