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Awnings, deep overhanging eaves, attic exhaust fans, floor plans designed for cross-ventilation, strategic shade trees - a century ago, there were lots of strat

Awnings, deep overhanging eaves, attic exhaust fans, floor plans designed for cross-ventilation, strategic shade trees - a century ago, there were lots of strategies for keeping cooler without A/C. And a 1950's house built with none of those advertised "I'm cutting-edge trendy, and rich enough to just run my new A/C all the time" to everyone who saw it.

pluto_modadic 2y ago
so... now they're an advertisement for zero energy homes >:D
teractiveodular 2y ago
This is even worse in the tropics. We used to have high ceilings, ceiling fans, cross-ventilation, shady trees, awnings. Now you get a stuffy high-rise concrete box with floor-to-ceiling glass facing the scorching afternoon sun, and AC working overtime.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
  Whoever designs and/or approves buildings like that should be forced to live in them.
  - dangus 2y ago
    I can volunteer in their place. I'll take one of the units on billionaire's row.
- dangus 2y ago
  High rises have high rise-specific windows that block solar heat energy extremely well.
mmooss 2y ago
This weekend I was in a small early-20th century home with marvelous cross ventilation - they hardly need anything else. I assumed it was a happy accident of the design, but now I wonder if it was intentional.
- Spooky23 2y ago
  Pretty sure it was, my whole 1920s neighborhood was built that way. The downstairs is glorious and with the shade trees barely needs AC for a few days in August. Upstairs is hot. But… the house was built with a finished downstairs and diy upstairs. The diy job wasn’t as good from a ventilation perspective.
- bobthepanda 2y ago
  It was probably intentional because they had no other means of cooling the house.
- bell-cot 2y ago
  It was no accident. If you look at (say) catalogs of house plans which were printed in that era, "room has cross ventilation" is a touted as a feature.

pluto_modadic 2y ago

so... now they're an advertisement for zero energy homes >:D

teractiveodular 2y ago

This is even worse in the tropics. We used to have high ceilings, ceiling fans, cross-ventilation, shady trees, awnings. Now you get a stuffy high-rise concrete box with floor-to-ceiling glass facing the scorching afternoon sun, and AC working overtime.

Cthulhu_ 2y ago
Whoever designs and/or approves buildings like that should be forced to live in them.
- dangus 2y ago
  I can volunteer in their place. I'll take one of the units on billionaire's row.
dangus 2y ago
High rises have high rise-specific windows that block solar heat energy extremely well.

mmooss 2y ago

This weekend I was in a small early-20th century home with marvelous cross ventilation - they hardly need anything else. I assumed it was a happy accident of the design, but now I wonder if it was intentional.

Spooky23 2y ago
Pretty sure it was, my whole 1920s neighborhood was built that way. The downstairs is glorious and with the shade trees barely needs AC for a few days in August. Upstairs is hot. But… the house was built with a finished downstairs and diy upstairs. The diy job wasn’t as good from a ventilation perspective.
bobthepanda 2y ago
It was probably intentional because they had no other means of cooling the house.
bell-cot 2y ago
It was no accident. If you look at (say) catalogs of house plans which were printed in that era, "room has cross ventilation" is a touted as a feature.