5 lessons from ancient civilizations to maintain homes cool in hot, dry climates

In modern buildings, electricity and air-con are sometimes taken as a right. They often have glass facades and windows that can not be opened. And when the facility goes out for days in the course of a heat wave, because the The Houston area experienced In July 2024, after Hurricane Beryl, temperatures in these buildings may develop into unbearable.

Nevertheless, for hundreds of years, civilizations knew tips on how to provide protection to people in hot and dry climates.

As Architect and researcher In researching urban resilience, I even have examined most of the techniques and lessons these ancient civilizations can offer for living in hotter, drier conditions.

Given rising global temperatures, studies show that dangerously hot summers like those in 2023 and 2024 have gotten increasingly commonand severe storms could lead on to more power outages. To prepare for a fair hotter future, today's planners could learn from the past.

Sumerians: Stay cool together

The Sumerians lived about 6,000 years ago in a hot and dry climate that today covers southern Iraq. Even then, they’d techniques to cope with the warmth.

Archaeologists examine stays of Mesopotamian cities describe how Sumerian buildings used thick partitions and small windows to reduce heat and keep interior temperatures cool.

The Sumerians built their partitions and roofs with Materials similar to clay or mud that may absorb heat through the day and leave it free through the night.

They also built buildings right next to one another, reducing the variety of partitions exposed to the extreme sunlight. Small courtyards provided lighting and ventilation. Narrow streets provided shade throughout the day and allowed pedestrians to maneuver around. leisurely through the town.

The ancient Egyptians: Using the wind

The ancient Egyptians also used Materials that would help keep the warmth outPalaces were fabricated from stone and had courtyards. Residential buildings were built of mud bricks.

Many people also adopted nomadic behavior inside their buildings to flee the warmth: they used the cooler roof terraces at night as sleeping quarters.

To cool buildings, the Egyptians developed a novel technology called Mulqafwhich consists of high wall openings facing the prevailing winds. These openings act as vanes that capture the wind and direct it downward to chill the constructing. The incoming wind creates air circulation that helps to dissipate the warmth through other openings.

The Mulqaf principle could also scaled as much as cool larger roomsThis fabric, often known as a wind catcher, is currently utilized in buildings within the Middle East and Central Asia to make sure a snug indoor climate without air-con, even in highly regarded weather.

The ancient Pueblo Indians: Working with the sun

Civilizations on other continents and at other times developed similar strategies for living in hot and dry climates, they usually too developed their very own unique solutions.

The Pueblo Indians in what’s now the southwestern United States used small windows, Materials similar to clay bricks and stoneand designed buildings with shared partitions to reduce heat gain.

They also recognized the importance of the sun’s alignment. The ancient Pueblo Indians built entire communities under the overhang of the south-facing cliffsThis orientation ensured that their buildings were shaded and stayed cooler in the summertime, but received sunlight within the winter and radiated heat to maintain it warmer.

Their descendants adopted similar orientation and other urban planning strategiesand adobe houses are still common within the southwestern United States.

Muslim Caliphates: Using every raindrop where it falls

Modern water management can be rarely designed for dry climates. Stormwater infrastructures are created to empty rainwater away from the town as quickly as possible. At the identical time, nevertheless, cities must also bring water for his or her residents and gardens, sometimes from distant sources.

In the eighth century, the Muslim caliphates within the arid lands of North Africa and southern Spain designed their Buildings with rainwater collection techniques to capture waterRainwater was collected throughout the roof and channeled into cisterns. The roof slope and courtyard floor directed the water in order that it may very well be used to irrigate the courtyards' green landscapes.

Today's Mendoza in Argentina uses this approach to water the plants and trees along the magnificent streets.

Mayas and Teotihuacans: Collecting rainwater for later

At the urban level, people also collect and store rainwater to survive the dry season.

The ancient Teotihuacan city of Xochicalco and plenty of Mayan cities in present-day Mexico and Central America used their pyramids, plazas and aqueducts to gather rainwater into large cisterns for later use. Plants were often used to purify the water.

Scientists are researching today Opportunities for storing good quality rainwater in India and other countriesRainwater harvesting and green infrastructure at the moment are considered Effective strategies to extend urban resilience.

Putting the findings into practice

Each of those ancient cultures offers lessons about tips on how to stay cool in hot, dry climates that modern designers can learn from today.

Some architects are already using them to enhance their designs. For example, buildings within the Northern Hemisphere could be oriented to face south as much as possible. South-facing windows combined with shading devices might help Reducing solar radiation in summer but enable solar heating in winter. Collect rainwater And its use to irrigate gardens and landscapes might help reduce water consumption, enable adaptation to drier conditions, and increase urban resilience.

Retrofitting modern cities and their glass towers to raised regulate heat isn't easy, but there are techniques that could be adapted to latest designs to make living in hotter and drier climates easier and to cut back the necessity for constant air-con in the summertime. These ancient civilizations can show us how.