Daikin debuts natural Ice Cool Spot at World Expo 2025 Osaka

Brussels, 6 September 2024 – At Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan Daikin will set up a brand-new ‘Ice Cool Spot’, a rest area equipped with an air conditioning system using natural energy [1], as a relief measure against the summer heat.

Because the World Expo 2025 will be open primarily in the summer, there will be measures at the venue to contend with the heat. As a leading HVAC-R manufacturer, Daikin has been developing a sustainable air conditioning system that is environmentally conscious and utilizes natural energy to bring cool conditions and comfort to the Expo visitors from around the world.

Ice Cool Spot was inspired by historical icehouses where ice and snow were stored for use as a cold storage facility. For this building, ice is generated by ice thermal storage air conditioning [2] technology to provide radiant cooling [3] comparable to the coolness experienced under the shade of a tree. Environmentally conscious measures, such as using electricity generated by solar power, will be incorporated to produce the ice. The walls adopt a traditional Japanese wood lattice for an open structure that gives visitors a sense of being outdoors, while the roof is equipped with highly aesthetic solar panels in a design that harmonizes with nature.

Ice Cool Spot will be built in the Progress Plaza, which is located to the southwest of the Expo Hall, and visitors will be able to use it anytime during the Expo.

As a company committed to “Perfecting the Air,” Daikin aims to provide Expo visitors with the opportunity to experience the potential and value of air. Through its participation in the Expo, a testing ground for the future society, Daikin has been taking on the challenge of developing an air conditioning system for the future utilizing natural energy sources such as solar power and the radiant cooling of ice. 

[1] Term used to describe energy obtained from natural phenomena such as the sun, geothermal heat, wind and tidal current 

[2] A heat storage air conditioning system that uses ice in air conditioners generated by electricity at night 

[3] Phenomenon in which heat transfer occurs from a high-temperature object (person) to a low-temperature object (ice) via infrared rays and can be experienced when a person loses heat and feels cool

Ice Cool Spot employs an environmentally conscious air conditioning system that combines the ice thermal storage technology that Daikin has cultivated in its air conditioners with solar power generation. Radiant cooling is obtained from the surrounding ice panels installed inside Ice Cool Spot. Maintaining a surface temperature of 3-8℃, the ice panels deliver a cool sensation of comfort that feels like being inside an actual icehouse. Made of transparent acrylic material, the surface of the ice panels enables visitors to see the ice walls up close to gain a visual sense of the cooling effect.

Part of the electricity used by Ice Cool Spot will be produced by its solar panels. The electricity generated during the day is stored in a battery to make ice at night when the temperature is cooler.

Benches placed inside Ice Cool Spot allow seating for around 30 people, and the high, sloping ceiling of 3.3 to 3.7 meters and the extensive use of wood create a relaxing interior space. Traditional Japanese wood lattice is used for the interior and exterior walls for an open structure with no boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Equipped with green solar panels, the roof blends in with the surrounding trees for a design that beautifully harmonises with nature when seen from above and serves as a symbol of Osaka Expo 2025.