Extreme climate is now a global, systemic risk — driving rising mortality, reducing labor productivity, straining infrastructure and energy systems, and increasingly limiting when and where outdoor life and work are safely possible.

Significant effort is being devoted to improving the efficiency of indoor comfort systems, as people will inevitably spend more and more time indoors. But what about the outdoors? Spending time outdoors and in natural environments improves physical and mental health, strengthens social connections, and generates economic value through increased productivity, reduced healthcare costs, and outdoor recreation.

For the last six years, our team has been researching strategies to make outdoor spaces safer and more comfortable under extreme conditions. To advance this work, we founded Radiant Exchange to research and develop integrated, sustainable solutions addressing both excessive heat and excessive cold.