Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Building Orientation
Building orientation refers to the way
a building is situated on a site and the
positioning of windows, rooflines, and
other features.
It is the practice of facing a building
so as to maximize certain aspects of
its surroundings, such as street
appeal, to capture a scenic view, for
drainage considerations, etc.
Why Orientation?
Plan carefully the orientation of the
building to the sun, wind and breezes.
Plan carefully its siting and shape.
Wrong decisions will make the building
less comfortable and downright energyinefficient.
It will never be environmentally-friendly
and the energy bills will be more, over
its lifetime.
Special
Orientation
Requirements
Building
Outdoor
sleeping
area
for
summer nights preferably is
provided. Desert coolers and
fans can be used during summer
Cold Climate
Sun Facing Rooms
In cold and mix climates the main living
areas should be located in the sunny side of
the house. In other words: they should face
the south, in the northern hemisphere (or the
north, in the southern hemisphere).
To avoid overheating during the summer,
consider trees planted at a proper distanceof
the house, and also overhangs and shading
devices (awnings, shutters, pergolas).
Cold Climate
Buffer Rooms And Spaces
In cold and temperate climates, locate
infrequently used rooms like garages,
bathrooms, stairs and laundry rooms in
the non-sunny side of the house. They
can act as thermal buffer spaces.
Cold Climate
East-facing rooms
East-facing rooms can benefit from
morning light and their warming effects,
and bedrooms, breakfast rooms and
kitchens can take advantage of it, at
least in moderate climates.
There may be also be unwanted heat
gains and glare during the summer in
east-facing rooms; to prevent it,
consider horizontal and low shading.
Cold Climate
West Facing Rooms
Rooms facing the west will benefit from the
warming sun during the late afternoon,
something that can make them appealing
spaces in moderate and some cold-sunny
climates.
But like east-facing rooms, west-facing rooms
can also be a source of unwanted heat gains
and glare, during the late afternoon.
Horizontal-low shading can prevent
overheating and glare.
Driveways
Driveways and parking lots are made using gravel
and asphalt materials that heat up faster and
reach higher temperatures than the rest of the
yard.
Excessive heat there can spill over to the adjacent
house, which is why placement of the driveway or
parking lot to the south or east of the building can
reduce summer heat buildup in southern climates.
Detailed
information
about
prevailing
winds
usually
available from airports, larger
libraries, Internet sources, and
county agricultural extension