After nearly five years of research, Youngjin Hwang, an assistant professor at Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture, along with Alexandros Tsamis and Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has developed a climate-adaptive building system. This innovative environmental control system aims to transform heating and cooling processes in buildings to better adapt to global climate change.

In July 2024, the team was granted a United States patent for their HydroSIP system. This novel technology is applicable across various opaque building elements such as walls, roofs, foundations, and floors. It features a double-sided hydronic layer that transfers heat through water flow within the building envelope. "This means there are hydronic loops on both the exterior and interior surfaces of the envelope," explained Hwang. The system can operate either by transferring heat directly between sides or independently on each surface.

The HydroSIP also includes energy-harvesting capabilities due to its external hydronic layer that captures solar energy. Consequently, the building envelope becomes an active component in energy management rather than just an insulated barrier.

According to their patent description, the team noted that buildings consume about 40 percent of U.S. primary energy and contribute significantly to carbon emissions. Opaque building envelopes alone account for 25 percent of total building energy use or 10 percent of U.S. primary energy consumption. This data led Hwang and his colleagues to focus on advancing these technologies to reduce energy use and enhance climate adaptability.

With their patent secured, Hwang's team is collaborating with students and researchers from both institutions to validate the system by testing a prototype in a room-sized artificial weather chamber designed to simulate most historical U.S. weather data.

Hwang believes that if successful, this technology will enable buildings to automatically adapt to weather changes while reducing heating and cooling energy usage. "Instead of relying on mechanical systems," he stated, "we propose a whole new paradigm for heating and cooling."