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Urban cool showcase

RSA Spark 2024/25
Business and entrepreneurship Design Education RSA Spark
A teal circular emblem with swirling, petal-like shapes in the center, accented by orange and green curved lines and four small blue diamond stars in the corners, all on a white background.

How might we support citizens and organisations to create cooler, greener and fairer cities that bring joy and health to everyone?

A cobblestone alley lined with trees and green plants leads to a tall brick building with many windows. Other buildings with greenery and large windows flank the alley under a blue sky.
A promotional collage for “cool spot” shows a person relaxing outdoors, colorful circular icons, smartphone app screenshots, and a blue outdoor tent. Text highlights mental health resources and solutions for stress relief.
A collage shows green-themed promotional materials for a map app focused on tree-lined routes, including printed ads, phone screens with navigation options, and app interfaces highlighting tree coverage and route suggestions.
A wall-mounted Biotherm panel heater is shown in a modern interior. Technical diagrams below explain installation, features, and parts of the heater system, with text and labeled illustrations.
Infographic explaining a solution that converts residual server heat into energy for bioprocesses, showing process steps and highlighting heat recovery, regulatory compliance, and clean, cheap products.

Micro Parks

A cobblestone alley lined with trees and buildings, including a tall brick building at the end and a green vertical garden on the left. Spherical bollards are spaced along the pathway.
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Tom Andrews

Loughborough University, UK

Micro Parks aims to transform neglected walking areas in London into vibrant green corridors. These will provide cooler temperatures and protect the city from surface flooding.

The primary objective of these spaces is to mitigate the effects of climate change by incorporating natural elements throughout London, while promoting sustainable modes of travel and rejuvenating areas that are aesthetically unappealing due to age and neglect.

See Tom’s portfolio

Cool Spot

A poster features a woman lying on grass with overlays of colorful target graphics and text about "Cool Spot," a program for easy access to cooling areas. Solutions include a mobile app, shaded pavilions, and cool spot blankets.
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Madeleine Brissenden

Arts University Bournemouth, UK

Cool Spot is a scalable system of modular pavilions, portable cooling blankets, and an innovative app that delivers immediate, low-energy relief in overheated cities.

Each pavilion utilises passive airflow, water features, and phase change materials to cool people without the need for electricity. “Wrap Up Cool” blankets extend this comfort to parks, cafes, and outdoor spaces. The app locates nearby cool spots, displays real-time temperature data, and rewards sustainable behaviour.

Designed to be fast to deploy and culturally adaptable, Cool Spot connects people to cooling solutions while helping cities monitor usage, turning the right to cool into a visible, inclusive and data-driven civic experience.

Cool Spot was also a winner of the Chacegrove Family Foundation Entrepreneurs Award.

Meet Madeleine Brissenden

Portfolio / LinkedIn / Instagram

Canopy x Apple Maps

A collage shows Canopy Maps app marketing materials, an urban heat info sheet, and three smartphone screens displaying app features: route choices, tree cover filters, and directions highlighting cooler routes.
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Dakotah Myers

Savannah College of Art and Design, US

Canopy is a branded system that reduces the impact of urban heat by promoting cooler, greener routes for walking, biking, and transit in Atlanta, instead of requiring people to download a separate app.

Canopy partners with Apple Maps to provide a smooth transition to shaded, tree-lined, and safer paths through the city. It uses environmental data, accessibility insights, and community input to guide users towards more comfortable and climate-conscious travel.

Through a strong visual identity, posters, signage, and digital integration, Canopy turns everyday commutes into small acts of resilience, supporting a healthier, more livable city for all.

Canopy x Apple Maps is also a winner of the Chacegrove Family Foundation Entrepreneurs Award.

Meet Dakotah Myers

Portfolio / LinkedIn

Biotherm

Biotherm insulation panel mounted on a white wall; below are detailed installation diagrams and instructions for integrating Biotherm with existing radiators, emphasizing energy savings and adaptable design.
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Casta Schaebbicke

Northumbria University, UK

Biotherm is a sustainable insulation solution that utilises phase change materials derived from waste streams, including used cooking oil, paraffin, and beeswax.

Designed for retrofit housing, it naturally regulates indoor temperatures by absorbing and releasing heat, reducing the need for mechanical heating and cooling.

Simple to install behind radiators or in blinds, Biotherm enhances energy efficiency in older homes and reduces CO₂ emissions from the heating sector. It offers an affordable, scalable response to climate change and poor insulation in existing housing stock.

Biotherm is also a winner of the Chacegrove Family Foundation Entrepreneurs Award and the Anjool Malde Young Innovator of the Year 2025.

The Hot Air Company

A graphic explains using residual server heat for bioprocesses, showing a data center, heat recovery steps, energy efficiency, and lab bioprocess containers. Sections highlight recovery, regulatory compliance, and cost savings.
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Hanna Cox, Charlotte Cala and Diana Jorge

University of the Arts London, UK

Hot Air Company turns residual data centre heat into revenue by powering modular bioreactor units used in biotech. The system captures waste heat before it’s lost to chillers and redirects it to fuel thermal-intensive processes, such as fermentation and drying, thereby cutting emissions, lowering costs, and enabling on-site biomanufacturing. It offers a scalable solution for data centres and biotech firms seeking sustainable infrastructure, circularity, and energy savings. The hardware-enabled Software as a Service (SaaS) platform includes remote monitoring, premium hosting, and process optimisation software.

The Hot Air Company is also a runner-up for the Anjool Malde Young Innovator of the Year 2025 award. Biotherm is a sustainable insulation solution that utilises phase change materials derived from waste streams, including used cooking oil, paraffin, and beeswax.

Explore The Hot Air Company further

Website / LinkedIn

In partnership with
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