Thermal Truths
An interview with Dorit Aviv
Homes and buildings are more than just boxes filled with air at the right temperature; they are complex thermodynamic environments deeply coupled with our bodies, minds, and emotions. We are lucky to be alive during this time of change in how the AEC understands what creates and delivers thermal comfort. Beyond the static “thermal blandness” model of the 1970s, we now realize that transient thermal dynamics can deliver both comfort and “thermal delight” through membrane assisted radiant cooling Nanophotonic tuned systems. Join us for a lively and thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Dorit Aviv, an architect and engineer working at U Penn.
Dorit, a practicing architect and engineer who now leads cutting-edge research on the design of thermal environments both indoors and out. Her work bridges the gap between the wisdom of ancient cooling and heating systems and high-tech 'future-casting' with spectrally selective materials to unlock membrane-assisted radiant cooling in humid environments. Along the way, we’ll dive into the mechanisms of thermal comfort, the human experience of thermal environments and recognize that society is due for an upgrade in the way we think about delivering comfort.
We conclude by pointing out the sobering reality that, thermal stress is increasingly becoming a health hazard for society. Just as society did with sewage and sanitation codes, we now face the need for a holistic approach to heat stress. Fortunately researchers like Dorit are setting us up to be able to prevent loss of life to thermal stress. Now is the time for all of us in the AEC to recognize the need for the 'Architecture of Public Health’ when it comes to our thermal environment.
Dorit Aviv
Dorit Aviv, PhD, AIA, is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the Weitzman School of Design, specializing in environmental performance. She is also a faculty member of the Material Science and Engineering (MSE) graduate group in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
She is the director of the Thermal Architecture Lab, a cross-disciplinary laboratory at the intersection of thermodynamics, architecture and material science. Her work examines paths to decarbonization of the built environment through design and policy. Specifically, she looks at the potential synergies between renewable environmental forces and architectural materials and forms, and their impact on buildings' energy performance, air quality, and human health.
Aviv's work has been supported by federal grants from the the National Science foundation, the National Institute of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Park Service, as well as by industry collaborations with Microsoft, Ripple, and Armstrong World Industries. In 2021 she was awarded a Holcim Award for Sustainable Design and Construction for a prototype of passive cooling in desert climate. In 2024 she received a Ramboll Foundation grant to investigate architectural applications of membrane-assisted radiant cooling. The resulting pilot heat shelter - KlimaKover, received the 2026 AIA-NYS project award in the infrastructure category.
