Joe Doucet has developed a Climate Responsive Paint, an exterior paint that changes colour from a light tone in summer to a dark tone in winter to passively improve energy efficiency.

Joe Doucet has developed a paint that changes from a dark grey below 77°F/25°C to white at temperatures above that, almost instantly.

"Research indicates that it takes approximately 3 per cent of total energy cost to raise or lower the internal temperature of a structure by 1°F/0.5 °C," said Joe Doucet. "By this estimation, this paint could save an average of 20-30 per cent of energy used to heat and cool a building, all passively, without the need to physically repaint a structure each season."

The challenge of the development lay in formulating a paint that was stable, durable and could withstand the deteriorating effects of UV light, with the exact formulation as patent-pending.

Not only can homeowners benefit from climate-responsive paint, but its use on larger structures – where heat and cold play a role in the internal environment – may also be helped by such a product.

This project has been longlisted in the material innovation category of Dezeen Awards 2025.

Studio: Joe Doucet 
Project: Climate Responsive Paint