Ventilating the house Print

Design Outcome


Desi​gn Checklist

  1. ​​​​Sun, light and air movement through the terraced house is optimised​

Better Design Practice

Provide windows on external walls to make all habitable rooms, including studies, naturally lit and ventilated. Ventilation is extremely important as many health issues are connected to damp conditions.

There are different ways to ventilate and move heat around the house, namely: 
  • Stack ventilation; and 
  • Cross ventilation. 
It is also possible to use the action of hot air rising and cool air falling to redistribute heat through the house. 

Stack ventilation moves air vertically up through the house and ventilates it through a high window. Design the house to utilise the ‘stack effect’ to optimise how natural air movement can cool the house. 

Use fans as a way of circulating cool air in summer, and warm air (which can rise and be trapped against the ceiling) in winter. Warmer air in the upper rooms including the roof space may be mechanically ducted back into colder lower levels of the house. 

Providing windows on two walls of a room will allow for cross ventilation. 

Position windows and doors to take advantage of cooling summer breezes, while avoiding prevailing winter winds. The house should be protected against the cold south westerly winds, and opened up to the cooling effect of the warmer north-easterlies. These are Auckland’s prevailing winds, but this can change depending on the specific conditions of the site. 

Ventilate all bathrooms and kitchens to the outside to prevent a build up of moisture. Natural ventilation is preferred. 

Light tubes (also known as solar tubes) can be fitted with double glazing and ventilation and can be a very effective means of lighting and ventilating internal spaces.

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