Ancient Dutch tiles act as natural air conditioners

In the damp maritime climate of the 17th-century Netherlands, the iconic blue-and-white Delft tiles were more than status symbols of the Golden Age. While they mimicked expensive Chinese porcelain, their unique clay composition remained porous beneath a thin layer of tin glaze. This structure allowed the tiles to act as a massive, passive sponge, using capillary action to absorb excess humidity from the air at rates 20% higher than modern ceramics.