BEAT THE HEAT, MAINTAIN THE CHIC
Starting at the very beginning, positioning a home to make the most of cooling breezes and choosing the right windows are probably the best ways to keep cool.
Alex Porebski, director at Porebski Architects, believes louvred windows are a great option for harnessing cooling breezes.
“One of the key methods of cooling down a home is getting the cross-ventilation right,” Alex says. “Having windows that are opposite or adjacent to each other can help; it may also work more efficiently if there’s a smaller window on one side to draw the air across.”
Orientation of windows will also affect the cool factor. “Having windows facing north is ideal for the solar aspect,” Alex adds. “If you can’t achieve that, and you have lots of windows facing east or west, apply external sun control with louvres or shutters, which can also create a beautiful effect of soft, filtered light.”
A house Alex and his team designed in Pearl Beach used single-room design so that cross ventilation could be used for cooling. External shutters, used to control the sun (and strong sea winds), slide fully away into cavities,
