ABSTRACT
The main problem with ‘modern’ development in the late 20th/early 21st century is that it has paid little or no heed to those elements of the earth that are essential for sustaining human life. Rather than buildings being regarded as a third skin, after natural skin and clothes, they have become regarded as distinctly unnatural elements to be traded for ever increasing sums. H-plan and L-plan demand a complete understanding of those areas of the building best suited to retaining heat or capable of being cooled by ventilation as climate demands. The orientation of the sun with regard to a new site for a domestic building, and its orientation with regard to the modification of an existing traditional building, is probably the most important factor to consider. A new building can take advantage of a design incorporating a clearstorey window, which immediately reflects light and solar gain into rear spaces.
