This month, we’re celebrating homes that keep their cool, naturally. From clever shading to cross ventilation and deep reveals, these designs show how architecture can beat the heat without compromising on beauty.
Explore our team’s favourite buildings that prove cool can mean both temperature and timeless design.
henry
Lark Rise
bere architects
“This is an excellent example of a home that stays naturally cool through Passivhaus design.”
“It has a highly insulated airtight fabric, which works effectively to prevent heat gain, while strategically placed shading and careful window orientation minimise solar overheating.”
“The design also incorporates natural ventilation strategies to purge any excess heat when needed.”
alan
Loblolly House
Kieran Timberlake
“I studied this ground-breaking American house for my dissertation.”
“I was looking more about it’s prefabricated construction approach but I love how the architects have made a feature of the external shutters.”
“These are multi-functional and can provide security when the house is unoccupied, form external shades when they’re in their in the ‘up’ position during the day and screen the house from the lower evening or morning sun in their ‘down’ position.”
“The house is also quite narrow in plan so perfect for cross ventilation to help keep it cool.”
paul
Sonoran Desert Passivhaus
brubaker architects
“I hadn’t seen this project before, but found it when I was looking for a Passivhaus in Dubai that was one of the first I’d seen that dealt with extremes of heat.”
“This project sits in a less extreme environment and is more architecturally elegant as a result. The huge oversailing roof and reasonably constrained openings with deep reveals make a big impact on summer comfort.”
“The ventilation of the roof and cladding also thermally breaks these surfaces from the internal environment slowing the heat from the sun from reaching the inside space.”
“The interior is possibly a bit too minimalist for me, but I imagine it’s still a wonderful home to live in.”
anna
Wool Hall
Tuckey Design Studio
“The natural insulation materials that have been chosen, Diathonite lime plaster and cork, will slow down the transfer of heat in summer preventing overheating as well as keeping the building warm in the winter.”
“A specific measure to reduce the overheating of one space was to actually remove some of the previous extensions and infill buildings to create courtyards between the different spaces. This allowed new windows to be added to create cross-ventilation.”
“The interiors also look as though they’d stay lovely and cool due to the deep window and door reveals, especially where the beautiful timber windows and doors sit behind the stone arches or in the newer part the windows have been set back deep within the walls.”
mami
Summer House
junzo yoshimura
“This house is built in a forest, with deep eaves that reduce the strong daylight entering through the L-shaped corner windows, which are designed to capture the surrounding landscape.”
“Its mono-pitched roof also helps create natural cross-ventilation.”
Don’t lose your cool with your home
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