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Design a Home That

Keeps You Cool,
Let in the breeze, keep out the sun, and stay comfortable when things heat up outside
BY WILLIAM S. HOFFMAN

ust north of Miami, on a barrier island between the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean, is a haven for fishermen, surfers, and nature lovers. Sebastian Inlet is a hot spot, literally. Along with the sand, sun, and fun comes the heat. Those of uswho live in this area appreciate the value of a cool retreat at the end of the day. Air-conditioning is one way to chill out in any house, but it brings along a higher electric bill. Alternatively, you can design a passively cooled home that uses the landscape, the wind, and the right materials to keep you cool. The home featured here is a perfect example of passive cooling. An ocean breeze, awooded site, and a willing homeowner allowed me to incorporate all the principles of passive cooling into one home.

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Passive cooling never looked so good. The house’s design and materials were chosen for their ability to keep the interior cool and to protect the house from strong Florida storms. Broadleaf trees shade the entry from the sun’s radiant heat. Photo taken at A on floor plan.Design starts with the site Long before the time of ceiling fans and air-conditioning, the Seminole Indians lived in chickee huts in southern Florida. The huts were long, narrow structures built on elevated platforms with open sides and palmetto-frond thatched roofs. It turns out that the Seminoles were on to something. The huts’ form minimizes solar-heat gain, the open sides and elevated floorspromote airflow, and the thatched roof offers protection from the elements. The goal for this project was to design a home that keeps the owners cool without relying heavily on air-conditioning. The technique is called passive cooling, and it is accomplished by lowering the temperature and increasing airflow in and around a house. Designing a passively cooled house starts with the site and includesevery aspect of the house right down to the color of the paint. Even with all the modern designs and materials for hot climates, though, this house is still surprisingly reminiscent of the Seminoles’ chickee huts. The house is a long, elevated rectangle with open walls and a durable, reflective roof. Wind and shade are your friends There are three things to consider before deciding how a passivelycooled house will sit on a site. Because the best remedy for hot weather is positive airflow, the first consideration is wind direction. In this case, the breeze comes from the south. So it was important to have one of the long sides of the house, with plenty of doors and windows, facing south. If the breeze had come from the east, I would have turned

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FINE HOMEBUILDING

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Onemore reason to use an open floor plan. Open floor plans complement today’s lifestyles, make small spaces feel larger, and in this case, keep fresh air flowing through the house. The open kitchen, dining room, and living room connect to outdoor areas through French doors and allow the breeze to cool the interior of the house. Photo taken at B on floor plan.

“This is a perfect example of passivecooling. An ocean breeze, a wooded site, and a willing homeowner allowed me to incorporate all the principles into one home.”
To remain cool without air-conditioning, this house is designed to promote the circulation of cool air and to keep the sun from turning the interior into an oven. Siting the house to take advantage of the prevailing breeze is the first step toward better airflow. Shade,light colors, and reflective materials keep the sun’s radiant heat where it belongs: outside.

REFLECTIVE MATERIALS REDUCE HEAT GAIN
The metal roof and lightgray cypress siding reflect the sun’s radiant heat, while vegetation shades the eastand west-facing walls from early- and late-day sun. Combined with the cupola and various styles of windows and doors, the exterior finishes make an...