An oak surfaced table that developers say can heat and cool rooms has been designed by a French architect/design pair.

The Climatic Table is the brainchild of Raphaël Ménard and Jean-Sébastien Lagrange. Ménard, an architect and engineer, and Lagrange, a designer, say the technology isn't new, but their application could allow homes and businesses to conserve energy while maintaining a comfortable temperature around 71F (22C).

Heat is absorbed by the table during the day, helping cool the area. Then at night the table releases heat as the room warms to its desired equilibrium temperature.

It does this by sandwiching phase-change materials (PCM) between folded sheets of corrugated aluminum beneath the solid oak table. In addition to fostering thermal exchanges with the wooden tabletop, the folds of the lightweight sheet of aluminum also provide excellent structural rigidity and carrying strength. Thus, the tabletop might have a very large span.

The duo are hoping to bring  furniture later this year. The believe energy savings will be up to 60% of heating needs and 30% for cooling when paired with a traditional AC unit. For housing, this furniture reveals its regulator property and allows an higher comfort during hot season. The overheating is absorbed by the Climatic Table and re-emitted when room temperature is tempered.

The Climatic Table is born from collaboration between Raphaël Ménard and Jean-Sébastien Lagrange. The project represents a result from a dialogue between design and engineering, structural design and energy savings, thermal well-being and rational aesthetic.

Raphaël Ménard is architect and engineer. He holds engineering degrees from the Ecole Polytechnique (1994) and the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (1999). He earned his degree in Architecture at Paris Belleville in 2003, the same year he founded Elioth. This multidisciplinary team works on innovation design, highly related to architecture and urbanism.

Jean-Sébastien Lagrange is a designer. He is graduated from Ecole Boulle (2000) and from ENSCI / Les Ateliers. In 2010, he set up is own office, JSLagrange. He worked for various editors and institutions (Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, French Ministry of Culture…). He was finalist for Agora scholarship grant (2013) and of Audi Talents Awards (2011).