Cloudroom

Ecosistema Urbano, Columbus, IN, 2021

One way that design can approach comfort resiliency is by creating spaces that allow for typically indoor activities to occur outdoors. Cloudroom does just that by creating a space for teaching, gathering, and leisure in the yard of a middle school in Columbus, Indiana. The inflated roof generates a breeze that cycles hot air out, and provides ample shade. In its temporary nature, Cloudroom acknowledges its seasonal utility, and its light structure leaves little physical impact. What this project does most successfully is transgress the typical boundaries we see in American spaces; what is inside can now be done outside, what is considered a closed off space (school) can become a place of community usage. The climate-oriented goals of Cloudroom also coincide with a post-pandemic concern for air quality and circulation. Instead of retreating from potentially uncomfortable temperatures to the comfort of an air conditioned classroom, Cloudroom asks students and community members to spend time outside, and notice how it feels.

Ecosistema Urbano. “The City as an Open-Air Classroom” in After Comfort: A User’s Guide, e-Flux Architecture, October 2023. https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/after-comfort/576415/the-city-as-an-open-air-classroom/.