


Ode to the "little sun". Everyday thermal practice and energy infrastructure in Chongqing (China)
The ‘little sun’ [小太阳] is a small electronic infrared heater used to warm one’s body. Since the implementation of the ‘Great Heating Divide’ in the 1950s, apartments in cities in the southern subtropical part of China are built without connection to a central or district heating grid. The materiality of architecture reinforces the cold, as insulation is deficient, windows are often only single glazed and there are many air-leak points in the façade. How then, do residents keep themselves warm during the cooler months? And how are everyday objects embedded in urban energy landscapes?.