For those of us living in the UK, having a fully functioning air conditioning system is a must when we have a few good weeks of sun a year, but for the rest of the year we rely heavily on a good heat supply. However, with this in mind, what would life be like without our beloved AC?
Design, Design!
Many of the old buildings you see today are typically brick and stone structures which mimicked geothermal properties of caves. Thick walls were designed to keep the sun out and the cool air in. You’ll also notice they hold high ceiling layouts which would benefit people during the warmer seasons, this would let the hot air rise whilst the lower floors remained cool.
Places like the United States, which are subject to hotter weather for longer periods, would have porches or verandas to escape to. And during the era of plantations, trees were planted to the East and West of the building to provide shade on to the main house. Even today those living in Spain take mid-afternoon naps called Siestas to avoid the hottest part of the day.
Take note
Typically, we should class our air conditioning system as a luxury, but like everything else in this modern age we take the basics for granted. A top tip if the air conditioning goes down on our one heatwave for the year? Hang wet sheets or clothes in the doorway to cool down the incoming air, bizarre yes, but it’s what they used to do before the invention of modern air conditioning. And if all else fails go on the hunt for some refreshing cold ice cream until your engineer arrives.
