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Keeping your cool in a hot climate

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One of the reasons Florida is such a popular state to live in is undoubtedly its climate. However, while its winters are generally mild to warm, there are parts of the summer that can be unbearably hot. This has frequently proven to be a challenge for architects seeking ways to make homes habitable all year round, without total reliance on air conditioning to do the job for them.

There are a number of classic design and construction principles that are often used, as well as more modern approaches too. But in all, the simple idea of using airflow to keep temperatures low inside a home is one of the oldest, and most practical. That’s why many Floridian homes have porches out front where residents can sit under the shade of the overhanging roof, while behind them a screen door allows the movement of air through the home.

It’s certainly not all a question of free airflow. There's also insulation. While you may think that having good insulation will mean an unbearably hot home, when it's combined with the work of air conditioning that keeps the inside of a home cool, insulating against external conditions becomes very effective. In addition, many Florida homes are increasingly being built from materials that do a great deal to absorb external heat and prevent it from penetrating into the home’s interior.

While it may seem like the peak of Floridian summer heat is unbearable, it pales in comparison with some of the temperatures that can be experienced in the United Arab Emirates. For example, the average temperature in Ajman, Dubai in July is a searingly hot 109 F degrees, only dropping to 84 F degrees at night. With this kind of heat some serious measures are needed. The first thing that many people want to know when searching for rental properties through agencies is what steps have been taken to make places comfortable for habitation. As Bayut listing data shows, most villas boast air conditioning, but further measures are also needed. In the older Al Rawda district of Ajman, the villas are built in the traditional Arabic style in which the layout places rooms used in the daytime on the shaded side of the property. Homes in the newer Al Jurf area rely more heavily on the use of modern, heat-absorbing materials in their construction.

Ajman Dubai (CCBY-2.0) by shazzandrob

With excessively high temperatures, heat-absorbing materials are vital as a climate of this kind needs insulation from the external heat. There are also some very exciting new materials being developed which use thermodynamics and become cooler than the air that surrounds them.

A completely different kind of heat is what can be found in Indonesia, where high temperatures are coupled with excessively high levels of both humidity and rainfall. In that country, these high temperatures, humidity and rainfall has led to the kind of home design which brings the outside in, and vice versa. You'll find bath and shower rooms are often open to the elements and rooms are built around open central courtyards, often with pools or other water features at their center.

With a global climate that is said to be steadily increasing in temperature it’s likely that more and more countries will have to start incorporating many of these ideas into their designs. And, what is certain to be a challenge for architects, will certainly be a boon for the people who will live more comfortably in the houses that they design with climate in mind.

Architects, Hot Climates, Housing, Insulation, Keeping Cool

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