Light and air
Cross ventilation
classroom office hospital hotel housing complex
Openings on opposite faces of a space so the wind enters on one side and leaves on the other.
What it solves
It removes heat and humidity without machines and cools people with the passing air. In the humid tropics it is the first strategy for comfort.
Today
Orient openings toward the prevailing breeze and give the space a shallow depth. Leave air paths between rooms with grilles or doors that can be opened.
Common mistake
Opening windows on only one side or blocking the way with interior walls, so the air has nowhere to go out.
Tomorrow
With hotter nights, openings protected from rain and intruders allow sleeping with the air flowing. A complex that leaves gaps between buildings shares the breeze with everyone and not only with the first in line.
Fact Cross ventilation works well when the width of the space is up to about five times the floor-to-ceiling height.
Where it comes from
- 1Traditional Malay house Malaysia, of diffuse origin
The raised house lets the wind pass under the floor and places windows facing each other in an open interior. - 2Caribbean timber house Limón, Costa Rica, early 20th century
The houses raised on piles have high windows for ventilation, wide verandas and steep roofs.
Masters
- Glenn Murcutt Marie Short House, Kempsey, Australia, 1974
He designs a shallow plan with louvers so each room receives cross ventilation. He teaches that the shape of the plan decides whether the wind can cross the house.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Light and air
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.