Nicholas Houchois
Papers
1
Total Citations
35
H-Index
1
About
Nicholas Houchois is a researcher at the intersection of architecture, thermodynamics, and environmental engineering, whose work reimagines how buildings can achieve thermal comfort without conventional air conditioning. His primary research areas include radiant cooling, indirect evaporative cooling, and passive geometric strategies for thermal regulation. Houchois’s most notable contribution is the Thermoheliodome, an experimental pavilion that demonstrates how to cool interior spaces by conditioning surfaces rather than air. The project integrates two key innovations: a cooling tower that uses indirect evaporation to lower water temperatures, and a reflective geometric shell that directs radiant cooling toward occupants. This approach drastically reduces energy consumption while maintaining comfort. His foundational paper on the Thermoheliodome (2017) has garnered 35 citations, reflecting growing interest in low-energy cooling solutions amid the climate crisis. Houchois’s work is particularly impactful for architects and engineers seeking to decouple building performance from fossil-fuel-dependent HVAC systems, offering a tangible, built proof-of-concept that challenges conventional mechanical cooling paradigms.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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