COOLANT - BEEHIVE

The air-conditioners used in building sector consumes about 40% of electricity generated. In India, it is expected to increase to 76% by 2040 (CSE, 2014). Booming real estate and infrastructure development across all major sectors is resulting in steep rise in energy demand, from refrigeration to air-conditioning systems. The demand for air-conditioners in India alone is expected to grow to 6.2 million units in 2020-21 (Ozone Cell, 2017). 

These systems consume high amounts of Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) and energy. Additionally, uninhabitable heat islands are formed because of continuous hazardous emissions.

We believe cooling solutions should not warm the planet while cooling the environment. We are therefore re-adapting traditional methods, using new tools and technologies to solve the issue of global warming via sustainable and inexpensive alternatives while consuming very little energy and no chemicals. In the process, we are embracing both active & passive cooling methods thru our product - Beehive.

We are working on increasing production and adoption of renewable and recyclable raw materials for air conditioning products. 

Air-conditioner was invented in 1902 and, over the next century they have negatively impacted our environment due to heavy electricity consumption, higher carbon footprint and an annual rise of 0.9 degrees in the planet's average surface temperature.  

Typical central air conditioner (AC) uses anywhere from 3-5 kilowatts of power every hour, utilizing on average 75 gallons of water -  which is about 15-20 buckets of water. 

Contemporary ACs creating pockets of heat islands in the city and are made typically with plastic and use other toxic chemicals.  Alternately, Air Coolers consume a lot less energy but a lot of water. They are bulky to transport and add immense humidity to the air. After their lifespan, both systems introduce high amounts of non-biodegradable waste into the environment.

With urban cities growing rapidly in size and density, governments are looking for smarter, greener and cheaper ways to meet these energy and cooling demands.

We are proposing a hybrid of passive and active cooling solutions. Beehive aims to solve some of these challenges by complementing the existing air-conditioning solutions and reduce their load on energy.

Beehive aims to provide an alternative that can complement the existing air-conditioning solutions and reduce their load on energy.

We found takers from diverse customer segments. Heritage projects, Restaurants, airports , to name a few . As a testimonial to the fact that cooling transcends human comfort, Beehive's application includes Greenhouses in gujarat, Tea processing fermentation plants in Assam and Cattle Sheds in Mathura, data centre pre-cooling- all of which help reduce the energy load on the resources. 

From modern city dwellers to luxury hotels who seek that aesthetics and living standards that match their surroundings, we are exploring unglazed porous ceramics combined with a pastel color palette to adapt to their taste and imagination. Beyond the obvious thermal & purification comfort, Beehive offers an olfactory stimulation of petrichor, the sound of a brook babbling over stones and presents an appearance of esoteric, ethnic beauty.

Also, for the last two years we have been working with potters from three villages in the country, viz., Gundiyali in Gujarat, Khurja in Uttar Pradesh and urban villages called Maidan Garhi and Uttam Nagar in New Delhi to generate more sustainable employment for them.

Ant Studio’s Beehive is a unique air cooling solution using traditional method and modern technology  and can be installed in open and semi-open spaces.

It is inspired by the structure of densely packed group of cells within a beehive.  

The conceived beehive structure has cylindrical pots forming the desired pattern and maximize cooling effect. Recycled water at room temperature is allowed to run on the surface of the cylinders, cooling the hot air passing through the pots. We aim to  provide a breathing life for citizens by purifying and beautifying public spaces. 

• Environmental Impact: We utilize clay and other eco-friendly material as inputs that contain no complex chemicals (such as plastics) and is completely recyclable

• Economical Impact: The system requires minimal electricity (one third of regular cooling) use and recycled water for consumption 

• Social Impact: because we work with local potters and craftspeople to revive the potter community by generating employment for the dying traditional art form 

• Aesthetic Impact: Beehive can be interpreted as an art installation instead of just playing the functional role of an air conditioner.

Energy Efficiency  -  Beehive requires minimal electricity and water, since the water is re-circulated from a collection tank.  Locally sourced eco friendly materials and recycled water along with re-usable steel makes it a cost-efficient solution and renders a low carbon footprint. An average 1.5 tonne air conditioner takes 2-3 units per hour, whereas a fifteen feet tall and ten feet across, Beehive installation, with a cooling radius of 15 feet takes only 0.63 units per hour. 

Aesthetic and Beauty - None of the above traditional competitors provide such out of the box aesthetics to the traditional air cooling systems. Our product is designed so that it can be interpreted as an art installation instead of just playing the functional role of an air cooling system. 

Socio-economic Impact - Pottery as a cottage industry as well as a viable craft has been struggling to survive. We endeavor to sustain the traditional art with the use of craft intensive products, in a way it would generate employment in ceramics and earthenware industry.

Pricing :  For the scale and size that we want to provide, our solution is poised to be a significantly affordable alternative to any other outdoor cooling solutions. Given the longevity to the product, the post installation maintenance & life cycle cost is 60% lower.

Beehive works on active-direct evaporative cooling. Traditionally earthen pots have always been used to cool water. Water inside the pots gets naturally cooled due to the porous nature of baked terracotta.  We have innovated a system that uses the same principle but in reverse order. We let the air pass through the earthen pots soaked in water. Calibrating the traditional method with modern computational tools, CFD analysis and material research we are able to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of cooling drastically. The specifically designed pots are aerodynamically designed to reduce drag so as to make the process of air striking on the grid as silent as possible. A beehive running at 75% capacity was able to cool an area sweep of 12 degrees and a radius of 12-15 ft at IIFS, Lucknow, U.P.

The highest temperatures in states like Gujarat and Rajasthan is telling us about the future when the new normal will be such high temperatures. Over the past few decades, worldwide energy demand for building cooling has increased sharply, raising concerns about energy resource depletion and contributing to global warming. Demand for cooling systems has increased, increasing the carbon footprint, resulting in inhabitable environment and living spaces. Before the advent of mechanical cooling devices, many passive cooling strategies (e.g. Hanging wet fabric in the windows, wetting the floors and the roofs,  to cool the air in the houses by providing courtyards for effective stack effect etc) were used ingeniously. 

As a pilot project, Beehive in Deki was done as an experiment to test the concept. With a decrease in temperature of 7-10 degrees celsius, it gives relief to the workers of Deki while also acting as an art piece for the space. The terracotta modules are designed aerodynamically and tested on computational software to validate before executing it as a pilot project and they push the air outwards towards the working area giving a comfortable environment. 

Combining active and passive strategies ciould reduce the load on electricity demands. Beehive is made adaptable to building facades and it consumes significantly much lesser electricity that is needed for fans. Through smart water management system we are trying to control water effectively. Bio-film forms on the surface of the pots naturally and it can also enhance air quality along with cooling.

Currently we are serving 10 customers.

In one year we hope to install Beehive in 100 small scale projects and atleast 2 to 5 large scale projects as a building facade system. 

In five years we plan to serve at least 10000 customers in small scale projects and 100 large scale projects as building skin. 

We believe functional art is the future. By creating products that are inspired by nature, we aspire to be thought leaders for a new generation of product line that combines modern technologies with ancient wisdom.

We want at least 2000 loyal trendsetting customers to embrace the idea of respecting biomimetic products, their life cycle and adopt sustainable designs, thereby creating a world with low carbon footprint , thoughtful energy usage and clean fresh air.

Each of the Beehive pots will be designed to an individual cooling unit that will enable us to sell the pots at scale allowing us to cater to large orders and small orders alike.

Governments and commercial developers such as Contractors, Engineers and Architects are constantly looking for sustainable and innovative solutions for intelligent and efficient use of space, improved aesthetics, cost and energy savings. These contractors, engineers and architects who work for designing commercial spaces and government bodies such as regulating authorities and policy makers will ultimately be partners for furthering the product.

The circular economy nature of our business model will allow us to scale up and connect with potters and set up local manufacturing units will not only provide more employment for potter villages that practise the craft but also strengthen our supply chain .

 Our innovation can scale up in the future by continuously investing our profits into strengthening our Research and Development arm to iterate the next generation of product line.

We aim to become a de-centralised manufacturing setup, like Lijjat papad or Ikea in the next three years,which in turn can enable us to maintain and deliver consistent product quality to the customers across various geographic locations .  

However, it is currently very challenging to work with a decentralised system as it is very resource intensive. In the first phase, for the next one year, we will be focusing on strategically using our setup as a single unit to train, source and supply to our customers. We will be focussing on material research, quality control and consistency. We aim to secure key partnerships with potter communities in the process.

Our biggest constraint is working capital that can enable us to set up a space for our supply chain by creating a Delhi hub that can act as the manufacturing unit for major parts in the northern India. We need a central space for rapid prototyping, storing, training, part manufacturing. Through our training centre every individual potter for two weeks. Who can then go back to the community to become a local link to the communities. 

With the perception of “terracotta” in Indian context as a cheap material for rural areas, we will need to ensure that our brand is positioned to break that mental barrier. Functional Art is our answer to this. Through Art we aim to target the middle and upper class customers who will be able to customize their solutions. 

2019 :

• • Enhance & measure air purification capability in the product by testing in public places. 

  • Implement at least 5 key signature projects in Delhi NCR region.

  • Standardize production processes & create lean supply chain for the Delhi coolant R&D center  

  • E-Commerce website launch 

• 2020 

  • Researching and scaling the business to new regions outside of delhi ( Considering Bangalore/Ahmedabad/ hyderabad ) 

  • Expand Product design catalogue 

  • Association with key influencers to help position the brand appropriately. 

  • Sell at least 100 units in India 

• 2025

  • Scaling the business to acquire 10,000 loyal customers internationally 

We hope to secure funding to overcome the following barriers:

1. International Patents and securing a License to Operate in other countries: 

2. Central Hub: For Research, training, stocking and packages and supply chain purposes

3. Access/Partnerships: Government contracts to make our design available in all public touristic places. Access to construction contractors & architect networks. 

4. Brand positioning: Developing a website, brand building and social media presence.

5. Establishing potter & manufacturer networks in Delhi to create our first Coolant Hub

Architects - 3 full time

Environmental expert with Architecture background - 1 full time

Sales, client handling and product manager - 1 full time

Industrial designer - 1 full time

chemical engineer - 1 full time (for material research)

Electrical Engineer - 1 consultant and 1 part time  (for smart water sprinkler system)

Site execution contractor and implementation - 2 full time and 2 workers

marketing - 1 part time employee

Ant Studio is a miscellany of Art Nature and Technology inspired by teamwork and intelligence of Ants. It was founded in 2010 by Monish Siripurapu, a graduate from the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi, with a motive to bridge the gap between craft and machinery embracing all the spheres of art, architecture, technology and materiality. He holds a PG Diploma in Robotic Fabrication from IAAC, Barcelona. 

His partner, Brahmi Kavuri is a product lead at a startup in Seattle with deep experience in Healthcare, Not for Profits & SMB marketplace. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with specialization in Product Management & Business Administration. 

At Ant Studio, we believe in Designs that go beyond functional and aesthetic concern to concoct an affiliation between the built and nature. As a research driven social enterprise, we are invested in innovations that begin and end in earth, that can really impact people.

Research Partners : Development Alternatives - Research, innovation and policy organization that incubates and supports green businesses and Startup India initiative

Public organizations: UNEP - Secured Grant of 10,000 USD under the UN Sustainability Innovation Award. Received Training and bootcamp sessions as one of the 12 winners from 180 entries from 22 countries.

Business development and training: Social Enterprise and What Design Can do, Netherlands. Received Training and bootcamp sessions as one of the 10  winners from 457 entries, we were provided with training in various aspects of business development. 

Community: Together with Manthan Educational Programme society, ahmedabad and Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC ) - CEPT, we are connecting with potters and craftsmen from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

We will design a highly efficient system with minimum travel distance (maximum 150 kms) from the production facility to our customers. We plan to outsource different manufacturing processes to various stakeholders, particularly a network of local artisans and craftsmen associated with regional CoolAnt centres through which all intermediate processes are routed. These centres would work with local craftsmen dependent on ceramics and pottery closer to some of the major cities in which the centers would operate. This will create a wider framework of inclusivity by involving regional stakeholders and local craftsmen of different regions and connecting them to markets. 

The Beehive product will be available to consumers in the IKEA format where customers can choose to scale down costs by driving to the centers, picking out parts  and assembling the installation themselves at the location. This will be done to decrease transportation costs and lessen risk of product damage while transportation. Alternately, customers can choose to pay extra if they need support with the installation. Consumers can call in to make payments or make bookings, online. E-commerce shall be the primary sales platform apart from offline enquiries being the secondary platform.

We are following a market intermediary model wherein we sell the products created by these potter communities to external clients . 

There are two different revenue streams: Volume sales of Beehive facade installations and individual beehive outdoor installations.

In addition, we aim to charge a fee towards any servicing or accessories for the existing product thereby creating a continuous cash inflow. 

Establishing as a brand and creating a platform for the potters will enable us to innovate and create more products that we can later upsell to the customer there by creating a better lifestyle product collection. 

Seed funding for working capital will be essential to establish brand and scale rapidly to acquire loyal customers.

For large scale government projects such as schools, tourism places, etc, public grants will be instrumental.

As a startup, we are working on combining traditional methods with emerging technologies and material science. We have now the luxury of technological advancements and knowledge of materials much more than our ancestors. In the process we are combining traditional craft and artisans with revenue streams and new ideas that can sustain craft and generate employee to a dying craft. Our idea is very simple where we want to connect to potters and artisans from different parts of the country and the world in the long run and connect them with opportunities. Consistency in the quality, streamlined supply chain and on ground implementation will be key challenges in achieving this goals. MIT solve - Circular economy challenge can help us attain our goals and help us connect with people, technology development, material research and providing training, networking and key strategic partnerships.

MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering

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Our ideology is to create products that begin and end in Earth. To design sustainable lifestyle products with zero wastage and zero plastic that do not end up in oceans and landfills causing serious harm to our environment. Beehive is an all natural Artistic cooling solution made with clay, that is designed using traditional methods, modern computational tools and material science. We are connecting potter communities and craftsmen with new opportunities. 

Modern Air Conditioners consume high energy and are harmful to the environment contributing to global warming and ozone layer depletion. Alternative solutions like Desert coolers consume less energy but are not effective in humid environments. Both are mostly made with plastics. What we came up with is a third alternative that is a hybrid of passive and active cooling system using evaporative cooling methods that comprises of earthen pots and a smart water system with fans. Beehive can become artistic embodiment on building facades that not only cool but also purify air by adding plants. 

We would like to utilize part of the GM Grant for business development, community and space building and part of it to further our product development on an intelligent water drip System that senses the temperature and humidity in the environment to release water that is just adequate to wet the pots as required. Applying Machine learning to traditional pots used in Beehive can make the solution smarter and more effective to maintain the optimum temperature and humidity levels in our built environments.

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