07/07/2026
At Cloud 9 studio, we’ve been building resilience towards climate change since coming across Jeremy Rifkin’s Third Industrial Revolution framework back in 2003. Now we are seeing this change happening in real time.
A building’s first line of defense and climate adaptation is its envelope. A Trombe wall is a passive solar design strategy that uses a thick, dark-colored masonry or concrete wall to absorb solar heat. In Villa Nurbs, we used two layers, one made out of ceramic and one EPDM layer, performing this phenomenon.
The Ceramic Skin (Villa Nurbs, Empuriabrava, 2000-2010) patent features 406 large-format ceramic pieces that utilize high thermal inertia, baking under the intense Mediterranean sun during the day, absorbing the thermal energy so it doesn’t pe*****te into the house, and then slowly releasing it when the temperature drops at night. These pieces were designed digitally (in collaboration with artist Frederic Amat, ceramicist Toni Cumella), and feature a computer-calculated, organic geometry that allows them to function as scales, shading the building when the sun is at its highest point.
It’s suspended on a system of tensioned cables that supports each ceramic piece, allowing for independent movement of each layer of the facade. This suspension of the ceramic skin creates an open air chamber between the scales and the inner wall.
Meteored weather map 7/2/26: https://www.tiempo.com/mapas-meteorologicos/
Toni Cumella Casa Gallego
