The printed ZEER lattice, unglazed
The printed lattice, unglazed. Every layer rests on the one below.

ZEER

How much can geometry add to an old passive technique?

Kind
Research before Studio G01
By
Pepijn van Rijthoven, computational design, in a design team at Politecnico di Milano
Material
Printed ceramic, gyroid lattice
Size
70 × 42 × 42 cm
Year
2026

ZEER is a refrigerator that runs without electricity, for households without reliable cold storage. It updates the old pot-in-pot cooler: water soaks into porous ceramic and evaporates in warm air, and that draws heat from the inner chamber. The wall is a gyroid lattice. It gives a large evaporating surface with little material and carries itself while printing, so the cooler can be made from local clay on a clay printer.

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The full cooler on its stand
The full cooler on its stand. Render.
Exploded view of the ZEER assembly
Exploded view of the assembly: lid, mesh, basket, ceramic gyroid shell and wooden stand. Drawing.
Cut-away view with the inner chamber
Cut-away view with the inner chamber. Render, cleaned up with AI.
Printing the lattice in clay on a delta printer
Printing the lattice in clay on a delta printer.
Detail of the printed gyroid wall
Detail of the printed gyroid wall.
Thermal photo of the lattice filled with water
Thermal photo of the lattice filled with water. Image quality enhanced with AI.
How it could be used off grid
How it could be used off grid. Render, cleaned up with AI.

02 Printing Living Walls Cool 04