Alongside everyday practices like clothing and diet, architecture helps maintain the crucial 37°C of homeostasis, the stable internal temperature that keeps enzymes operating within their narrow range of about 35.5°C to 37.6°C. When ambient temperatures drop below the thermal comfort zone of roughly 21°C to 28°C, the body initiates thermogenesis: blood vessels constrict, shivering begins, and heat is generated. When temperatures rise above this zone, thermolysis cools the body as vessels dilate and sweat forms.
Most contemporary buildings, particularly in many European countries and often constructed during the era of abundant fossil energy and poor insulation, face the challenge of maintaining indoor temperatures within the human thermal comfort zone. Simply increasing heating to warm poorly insulated buildings is not a sustainable solution, as it accelerates greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding how heat moves through buildings is therefore essential for ensuring the future usability and efficiency of structures, especially those built from the early 20th century onward.
Thermal Knowledge is a video installation exhibited at the Beta Biennale 2026. During our onsite office-in-residence period we will study the heating and insulation of the former Technical College ‘Ion Mincu’ architecture high school in Timișoara Romania using thermal imaging. We will conduct thermal scans of the buildings exterior and interior to identify the potential cold bridges and leakage in thermal insulation. The thermal scans will be exhibited as 1:1 projections on the building’s walls.
vokal(@)vokal.fi
Ella Kaira
Architect (MSc) SAFA
ella.kaira(@)vokal.fi
Matti Jänkälä
Architect (MSc) SAFA
matti.jankala(@)vokal.fi
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