Which way shouldyour house face?

Before insulation, before glazing specification, before any equipment — where the openings face.

A deep verandah carried on turned columns — A verandah set from the sun angle rather than from a standard detail. It costs less than the glass it replaces.

In this climate the west wall is the problem. Late afternoon sun arrives low, enters deep, and lands on surfaces that then radiate heat into the room for hours after sunset.

The order of operations matters. First decide which rooms can afford a west face and which cannot. Then set the depth of the overhang from the sun angle, not from a standard detail. Then choose glass.

Done in that order, the glass specification usually comes down rather than up, and the cooling load falls before a single machine is selected. Done in the reverse order, you spend money for the rest of the building's life correcting a decision that was free on day one.

None of this is new. It is what courtyard houses in this region did for centuries. It is only unusual now because plans are so often drawn before the site is understood.

At Hyderabad's latitude a 1500mm overhang stops the summer noon sun and admits the winter one. It does nothing about a 15° west sun at five o'clock — only the plan can do that.

What a 1500mm overhang does in Hyderabad

Summer noon sunComes in steep. The overhang stops it. The room stays cool.
Winter noon sunComes in low. It passes under the overhang. The room stays warm.
Late afternoon west sunComes in almost flat. No overhang can stop it — that side needs a screen, a wall or planting.

This is why the west side of a house costs you more in cooling than the south side.

Written by the studio. If you would like to discuss any of this against a specific site, get in touch.

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