No Air Conditioning!

By Tom Tynan 

During my younger years, while earning my degree in Architecture at the University of Miami, I focused on building designs that could work with the environment – naturally cooling the building with the use of little or no air conditioning; a place to live comfortably with Mother Nature, and a building free of indoor pollution.

I was definitely ready to save the world, however, setting out with this concept, talking to anyone who would listen, quickly labeled me “a little bit off the beaten path”. Just when I believed all hope was lost – a client walked into my office and asked if we could design and build a simple home needing little or no air conditioning. My client not only wanted a house that would consume less electricity, but also
most importantly, not make her sick.

The client had gone to other architects but the response was the same; they wanted to build tight, insulated structures using the latest products designed for air conditioned homes, and was constantly told, “without air conditioning that design will not work”.

Now I have had the opportunity to design and build this house, and publish the results based on one of the hottest summers on record. We have printed the design drawings to illustrate some of the important features. I think the first thing people notice is the organic shape – almost gives the impression the structure could move on its own. Some have said the design reminds them of a ship, an animal and even an insect.