Fresh Breezes and Cross Ventilation

A lot of our lives are lived in air conditioned or heated spaces. But there is perhaps nothing so lovely as the feeling of a fresh and cooling breeze on one's skin in the summer.

The world is getting hotter every year. But we can still enjoy and tap into the power of breezes for cooling.

One way I like to do this is by making a house "One Room Deep". This means that windows opened on both sides ensure breezes go right through. I also like to use what is called HVLS fans, or High Volume Low Speed Fans. These keep the air moving and stop the stratification or stagnation of the air in a space. Yet the low volume of these vans means you that the air movement is soft, barely perceptible. Never jarring.

A few years ago I had a house designed like this on the green home tour. It was the Serdar Micropolis whose central portion is one room deep for this very reason. Although we were having a heat wave that day, our project was cool and comfortable to the point that people asked what made it so.

This shows me that perhaps we can do a better job harnessing natural breezes and reduce our dependence on air conditioning to the worst summer months.