EIRES Lecture: Make Yourself Uncomfortable

Make Yourself Uncomfortable

Make Yourself Uncomfortable looks at what happens when we turn the spotlight of climate action to its most overlooked and undervalued site: our buildings and how we inhabit them. For all of us, confronting climate change will mean finding new thresholds for comfort in our homes, our offices, our schools, that is, everywhere ‘indoors’.

This means changing our thermal practices: how we use our spaces and bodies with respect to heating and cooling – from clothing to curtains, to seasonal habits and daily patterns.What are the skills and tools needed to better adjust, to reduce energy demand? And how can architects and designers change our buildings themselves to help us improve our thermal practices? This presentation will provide some historical context for designing for discomfort, as well as consider the design and technological possibilities in the present. 

Program

12:00 - 12:05
Welcome 
by Ass. Prof. Roel Loonen - TU/e | EIRES & Department of Mechincal Engineering

12:05 - 12:35
Larger scale seasonal thermal energy storage, often forgotten but cannot be ignored
Prof. Dr. Daniel Barber - TU/e Built Environment

12:35 - 12:55
Questions & Answers
led by Ass. Prof. Leneke Kuijer - TU/e | EIRES & Department of Mechincal Engineering

12:55 - 13:00
Wrap up & Announcements
by Ass. Prof. Roel Loonen - TU/e | EIRES & Department of Mechincal Engineering

About the speaker

Daniel A. Barber is Professor and Chair of Architecture History and Theory at the Technical University of Eindhoven. His most recent book is Modern Architecture and Climate: Design before Air Conditioning (Princeton, 2020), following A House in the Sun: Modern Architecture and Solar Energy in the Cold War (Oxford, 2016). Daniel co-edits “After Comfort: A User’s Guide” on e-flux architecture.

His research is supported by the Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies (CAPAS) at the Universität Heidelberg, the British Academy, the Fondation Martell, and through a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship. He co-directed the film “Climate Portraits” for the 2024 International Architecture Biennial Rotterdam (IABR), and was a principal for “Terms and Conditions,” an installation at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale.

Target audience

EIRES Lectures are open for anyone interested in the latest developments in energy storage and conversion. Different keynote speakers from academia and industry will present their views, solutions and outlooks on the topic. The lectures leave plenty of room for discussion. We value your input. Looking forward meeting you!