It's unlikely to work well for offices and high rises, granted.

But it wouldn't be too hard to imagine this kind of set-up being modernized and applied to many suburban homes in the US Southwest, for example.

A qanat can be little more than a shaded pond. It doesn't have to be underground. Air around it is cooled, then drawn by the wind tower through the house.

OK, that makes sense. All you need for that is a source of water and a low-humidity environment. I guess well pumps use less energy than air conditioners?