Re:How air-conditioning created the modern city
by emodendroket on Tuesday August 14, 2018 @04:46PM
(#17761738)
Yeah, I visited the Andrew Jackson home and there were a bunch of corridors basically designed to convey wind (though ironically they keep them shut now because the moisture would damage the home)
Re:How air-conditioning created the modern city
by bitwize on Tuesday August 14, 2018 @04:53PM
(#17761792)
Swamp coolers are incredibly useful for efficiently keeping cool in 100+ degree days, but are only usable in "dry heat".
Everywhere south of about Pennsylvania, kissing bugs -- carriers for deadly Chagas disease -- become a problem. So even with screens, you're going to want a well-sealed house.
For dry, you see a fair number of examples in the US southwest. One of the things you do is take advantage of the fact that there are big temperature swings between daytime and nighttime. You can also use cooling towers. You get some idea from the design of the Zion Visitor's Center. [1] It's not hot-hot there (it's high but gives you some idea).
Wet hot is a lot harder. Utilize shade where you can. Lots of cross-ventilation. Basically very open buildings (subject to how big a problem biting insects are of course--though you can use screens in that case).
[1] https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/zion-canyon-visitor-ce...