Technique from ancient Persia to cool Seville

Seville, the capital of the Andalusia region, in southern Spain, is one of the hottest cities in Europe, with temperatures often reaching 40 degrees in summer. Local authorities have long sought solutions to the complications arising from the additional rise in temperatures due to global warming. Among them is recovery ChannelIt is an advanced technology In ancient Persia more than 1000 years ago Then it spread to other countries, which are characterized by a particularly dry climate.

The Persian Channel It was a series of vertical column-like tunnels connected by a gently sloping stream. A channel usually starts from the aquifer and allows water to be transported over great distances, using the force of gravity, without losing a significant part of it due to evaporation.

This principle was adopted and updated by the engineers who developed the project Carthage Seville: The goal is no longer to transport water, but to use it to cool a large part of the neighborhood, and perhaps in the future, of the city. The duct will carry cold water, and the vertical vent system will allow fresh air to reach the surface, creating naturally cooled areas.

The Seville municipality project, worth five million euros and funded for four by the European Union, takes and improves on an experience already tested in Seville in order toExhibition 1992. Compared to that time, when the water was pumped out and partially cooled using fossil fuels, the whole process will now be powered by renewable sources. The area on which it will be built will be the same, which remained of little use after the end of the exhibition, and is now slated to become not only a meeting place but also the headquarters of some companies.

This part of the island of Cartuja, the piece of land between the Guadalquivir River and the Cartuja Channel, will be renovated not only with the new Channel, but also with covers for the runway, sun protection, an evaporating water system, new trees, and a two-meter burial for the central square, to protect it from hot air currents. According to the project, all these measures will reduce temperatures by 10 degrees and will work up to 41 “outside” degrees.

It is expected that work on the project will be completed by October Channel It will also be tested on one of the city’s main streets, Avenida de la Cruz Roja, with its “islands of comfort” from the heat. At the moment, it is a solution that is limited to two specific areas of the city, and cannot solve Seville’s climate problems alone. But if the results are as promised and the costs are sustainable, the management has expressed its intention to expand the modern network Channel Also in other regions.

At the same time, the municipality is undertaking another series of measures aimed at lowering temperatures, including installing public fountains, covering streets and squares with sunshades, and increasing the number of trees (5000 will be planted). And the use of building materials capable of reflecting sunlight.