Although a lot of the time we are often keen to keep our homes warm and well insulated (especially in the UK where even the summer can be a sadly lacking in sunshine!) we also know that when it does get too hot indoors it can feel unbearable – this summer we have been lucky enough to enjoy plenty of warm sunny days, but that means that many of us then struggle to sleep at night in bedrooms that are just too warm.
When this happens, we usually switch on the fan or the air conditioning – but there are many other ways to keep homes and buildings cool in the heat of the summer…
The Ancient Egyptians knew a thing or two about dealing with sweltering temperatures – after all Egypt is a very hot country all year round. They devised a way to keep rooms cool by hanging water-soaked reeds in their windows, which would cool the room down as the air hit them.
The reason that homes from the Victorian era are designed with porches and high ceilings is because the Victorian inventors realised that air flow in a building had a lot to do with keeping it cool – many of the Victorian air flow designs are still used in air conditioning today.
The wonders of modern science and architecture now means that building can be designed and built using Brise Soleil – this means that the sun can get into the building when it is low in the sky, but in the heat of the day it is blocked, keeping a pleasant temperature all day long.
