There are exposed concrete surfaces (ceilings and floors) throughout most of the building. This is part of the comfort strategy as the temperature of these surfaces can be used to provide heating and cooling in a very efficient way.

Comfort is mainly provided by an innovative system, named the Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS). This system  cools the concrete surfaces around you.

The base principle of TABS is to activate the exposed structure of the building by embedding water carrying pipes within the structure of the building and consequently, passing chilled or heated water through the structure.

In conjunction with the tempered fresh air, it provides a more effective method for thermal comfort compared to systems which deal with air temperatures only while having significant energy benefits throughout the year.

TABS also help to lower the peak energy base load of the building in conjunction with the Solar Photo-Voltaic (PV) system.

The system at the d-school was subsequently recognised as a pioneering initiative in sustainable design in South Africa.