Natural ventilation design

Swiss studio Manuel Herz Architects has unveiled plans to extend Tambacounda Hospital in Senegal, with a snaking building featuring perforated brick walls.

Image 8 of 12 from gallery of Cross Ventilation, the Chimney Effect and Other Concepts of Natural Ventilation. Photograph by Matheus Pereira

Passive cooling systems are a type of building design that uses natural processes to cool a building without the use of mechanical systems.

One of the best ways to create a perfect home is to create it with respect to the natural elements acting up around it, good architecture exists in harmony with nature. Passive Cooling does not only give user comfort, but it also saves energy making the house sustainable. There are a lot of passive cooling techniques but here are some that can be applied to your future home in the tropics.

Image 24 of 38 from gallery of Cuckoo House / Tropical Space. Photograph by Oki Hiroyuki

Last year I had the chance to take a press preview of the Old Mint in San Francisco. It's right downtown, just opposite the San Francisco Chronicle, and though it's unused at present, it's set to become the home of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. Nevermind that the building was awarded to the group some seven years ago, or that "Granite Lady" is still a good shot away from being ready for the public. The date I heard bandied about for opening was "2013" and the amount of…

Image 14 of 14 from gallery of Okanagan College Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation / CEI. section natural ventilation