Air conditioning overshadowed methods that architecture once used to protect against heat. Through its use of marble, Italian churches utilised conductive cooling, allowing the coldness of the ground to be rapidly transmitted to the surface. The Refreshing Square aims to rehabilitate this know-how in the face of the fossil fuel crisis and global warming. The installation features a floor and two choir benches made out of solid Italian marble. By touching marble, the human body cools by conduction, thanks to its high effusivity. Facing marble, the human body cools by radiation, thanks to its high emissivity.
