Madrid: The next Windy City?

The Spanish capital of Madrid plans to construct a giant new park with a “wind garden”... but not just any wind garden. This one's designed to reduce temperatures within the city by redirecting cool breezes through its streets.

🇪🇸🌬️ More deets... The spiral structure, made of green vegetation like mosses and ferns, will rise above the tree tops to catch cooler breezes, drawing them down towards the surface of the park.

• Studies have found that the wind garden, combined with shady avenues of trees and irrigation systems, could help to reduce city temps by as much as 7.2°F, per The Times; Madrid’s average daytime temp in the summer is 91.4°F.

🌍 Zoom out: Madrid’s project draws inspiration from similar setups in the Middle East, where people used wind towers to cool their homes long before AC was invented.

⚽️🏟🧠 World Cup on the mind... The Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar's main arena for 2022 FIFA World Cup, is primarily cooled by a massive tower that captures wind and prevents the cold from escaping. 

• Its engineers claim it's the world’s coolest open-air venue, despite average daily outside temps around 100°F.