With the heatwave sweeping the country, an urban air conditioning addiction is also on the rise. For those of us lucky enough to have it at work or at home, the generated air is an easy (if pricey) comfort that often leaves us avoiding the foreign realm of the outdoors. However, air conditioning wasn’t always there for us to fall back on so easily. Believe it or not, architecture can help us alleviate some of the heat.
With the heatwave sweeping the country, an urban air conditioning addiction is also on the rise. For those of us lucky enough to have it at work or at home, the generated air is an easy (if pricey) comfort that often leaves us avoiding the foreign realm of the outdoors. However, air conditioning wasn’t always there for us to fall back on so easily. Believe it or not, architecture can help us alleviate some of the heat.
The advent of the air conditioner not only meant less sweat; it also changed the very way that we live, and the buildings we live, work, and play in. Cool porches and deep eaves were unnecessary, walls could be thinner, high ceiling and attics were a waste of space, and development could generally spread into increasingly hot climates. Such temperature control also allowed for steel and glass towers of greenhouse-level-heat to become a practical notion.
Prior to this luxury though, if you weren’t submerged in water, buildings actually needed to pitch in with the job of cooling during the summer. Here is a collection of homes that show features that could help you to build your way out of heatstroke. Oh, and also: climate change.