Light and air
Double height
lobbylibraryschoolapartment buildingoffice
It is a space whose height spans two floors, with no intermediate slab in that part.
What it solves
It brings light to the back of the plan and lets hot air rise and escape through high openings. It connects by sight and voice those on different levels.
Today
Provide high windows or grilles that let hot air out and protect large windows from direct sun. Think about acoustics, because sound travels from one level to another.
Common mistake
Filling a double-height space with glass without shade or a high outlet, which turns it into an oven.
Tomorrow
A well-ventilated double height can save hours of air conditioning and be the place where neighbors or colleagues cross paths. In apartment buildings it gives each unit back some of the sky and air of a house.
Where it comes from
- 1Medieval great hall England, widespread around 1300
The main hall was taller than it was wide, with a central hearth whose smoke rose to an outlet in the roof. - 2Modern Movement Stuttgart, Germany, 1927
The Citrohan house built at the Weissenhof exhibition places the living room at double height in one half of the house.
Masters
- Charles Correa Kanchanjunga Apartments, Mumbai, India, 1983
He cuts away the corners of the tower to open double-height terrace gardens in each apartment. He takes up into the air the veranda that protected the house from sun and monsoon.
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.