#

Kühle Wand (cool wall), 2021
Breathe Earth Collective (Karlheinz Boiger, Lisa Maria Enzenhofer, Andreas Goritschnig, Markus Jeschaunig, Bernhard König)

Bildunterschrift

When the Kunsthaus Graz was built in 2003, climate-responsible construction was not a key issue. In the glass architecture of the Needle the heat can be problematic, and not just at the height of summer. The standard solution – more air conditioning – is energy-in-tensive and also warms the surrounding city. The transdisciplinary Breathe Earth Collective is developing an unconventional cooling system that puts climate-positive thinking into practice. Drawn from the groundwater cistern under the Kunsthaus, cold water at about 14° is pumped upwards and runs through a heatsink made of thin copper pipes. The system is set to produce an appreciable coolness in the Needle, while the cooling water piping will be visible on the façade. In their work, the artists once again explore and experiment with aspects of the anthropogenic influence on the climate. With their characteristic lightness and immediacy, they visualise its complexity – and ‘climate culture’ becomes a tangible experience.

With thanks to DI Sebastian Sautter (Sautter – advanced energy consulting ZT), Wolf Haustechnik, Zultner GmbH and gedawa Danninger & Wassermann OG.