4 ms·

Buildings were designed differently, and society worked differently. Buildings now are designed to be sealed against the elements, where before A/C they were d

Buildings were designed differently, and society worked differently. Buildings now are designed to be sealed against the elements, where before A/C they were designed to maximize exposure to airflow. Things like lanais, Bahama shutters, crawl spaces, dogtrot houses, etc were all strategies for blocking sun and improving airflow. Even passive solar strategies existed, like using large deciduous trees to block sun in the summer and allow it in the winter. On the societal side, there was less expectation for society to keep moving during midday heat, sometimes explicitly formalized like the Spanish siesta. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/07/keepin-it-cool-how-the-air-conditioner-made-modern-america/241892/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/07/keepi... EDIT: Can't believe I forgot about solar chimneys and evaporative coolers (aka swamp coolers).

saagarjha 6y ago
Many newer buildings are shifting back towards being “breathable” to cut energy costs.
- jdmichal 6y ago
  Can you point me to anything? I'd love to learn more about that. I'm not sure how that would work when the outside air is absolutely hotter than desired. We still do things like airflow through attics, because that's above the ceiling insulation and the outside air often is cooler than attic air.
  - saagarjha 6y ago
    Well, I should provide a disclaimer that I’m only really aware of California buildings that do this, which might answer the “how does this work in general” question :P
    - jdmichal 6y ago
      Ah, yea. There's definitely climates in California where that would work. I'm in Tampa Bay, and during the summer there's very few times when you would want outside air coming in. Even if it's OK temperature-wise, humidity is always there. I've open windows to take advantage of cool air during storms, but I also know I have an A/C that will act as a full-house dehumidifier.

saagarjha 6y ago

Many newer buildings are shifting back towards being “breathable” to cut energy costs.

jdmichal 6y ago
Can you point me to anything? I'd love to learn more about that. I'm not sure how that would work when the outside air is absolutely hotter than desired. We still do things like airflow through attics, because that's above the ceiling insulation and the outside air often is cooler than attic air.
- saagarjha 6y ago
  Well, I should provide a disclaimer that I’m only really aware of California buildings that do this, which might answer the “how does this work in general” question :P
  - jdmichal 6y ago
    Ah, yea. There's definitely climates in California where that would work. I'm in Tampa Bay, and during the summer there's very few times when you would want outside air coming in. Even if it's OK temperature-wise, humidity is always there. I've open windows to take advantage of cool air during storms, but I also know I have an A/C that will act as a full-house dehumidifier.