Breeze and easy homes

As temperatures hit an all-time record, none of us has escaped the wilting effects of this summer's heatwave. Days of blazing sun, still air and stifling humidity levels have combined to make the capital uncomfortable. And, if climate experts are to be believed, we can expect more of the same for years to come.

To help Londoners cope with the sweltering heat and climate change, architects and designers are incorporating new ideas in housing design. "Dealing with extremes of temperature, floods and storms is now an integral part of our thinking," says architect James Burch, of Proctor and Matthews, which has worked on award-winning schemes including Greenwich Millennium Village and Abode in Essex.

"The ways in which our homes contribute to global warming are having an impact on building regulations. For example, new requirements for increased levels of insulation don't just have benefits in winter, they keep us cooler in summer, too, therefore reducing the need for heating and air-conditioning."

Ideas incorporated at Greenwich include panels of external louvres, and windows that line up with each other at the back and front of homes. "The screening increases privacy and shade, but it also means windows can be opened behind the louvres to create cross-draughts," says Burch.

He adds: "For ecological reasons, natural ventilation is preferable to air-conditioning."

Thatch magic

Louvres appear again at Abode in Harlow, while the development's most distinctive features - the thatched roofs - play an important role in keeping homes cool.

Burch says: "In the way that all homes in hot climates have thick walls and insulated roofs to keep cool, traditional thatch is an effective insulant, with benefits in summer and winter."

Learning from the past and pursuing a green approach, architecture practice Knox Bhavan has incorporated a range of climatecontrol features in its projects. In a contemporary extension to Hodges Place, a Kent farmhouse, it combined shading with water to create a cooling effect.

"One of the keys to keeping temperatures down is to prevent full sun hitting the glass," explains Simon Knox. "Here, we incorporated a device called a 'brise soleil' - an open, slatted canopy. It's used horizontally to break up the sun as it hits the front of the building. The effect is to reduce the heat, but still allow light in."

A deep, rectangular pond was created at the front of the building. According to Knox: "This is an idea often used in the tropics. Just the sight of water makes us feel cooler, but, when air passes over the surface, it is actually made cooler."

Knox Bhavan has also used a similar, but smaller, water trough for its own office, where fixed louvres and an ingenious sliding panel across the front of the building have been incorporated to provide extra shade. "This works like the traditional shutters to be found in any hot climate," says Knox.