Workers in the Desert Keep Cool Without Air Conditioning, Thanks to New Building Designs

Companies are transforming desert buildings in Bahariya Oasis, Egypt’s Western Desert, to well-insulated spaces that keep away much of the heat and tackle climate-changing emissions.

An architecture firm specializing in energy-efficient buildings, ECOnsult, is helping low-wage workers in the Saharan oasis village survive the heat without air conditioning, designing affordable structure for 120 people. The buildings are not only effective in summer, as they efficiently keep the cold away in winter as well.

“We care about making our green buildings affordable, so we design buildings in a way that makes them have the same cost as traditional buildings,” explains Ahmed Al Shareif, a business development manager with ECOnsult, which is now a finalist for an award for innovative natural cooling.

Another Egyptian company, KarmSolar, is employing wind-catchers and hot-air extractors in another village in Bahariya Oasis, and strategically placing doors and windows to also allow for natural cooling.