Hot dry, cold winter climates
In the hot dry climates, good design with well placed thermal mass, and sheltered, shaded outdoor spaces, can dramatically reduce the impact of higher temperatures. Careful provisions for night-time ventilation make use of cool nights to cool down living areas ready for the next day. Bedroom areas not used for daylight living cool down much more quickly in the evenings if built in lightweight construction, thereby reducing air-conditioning loads or eliminating them all together.
- Thermally massive daytime living areas with limited daytime ventilation is a good combination.
- Lightweight construction and good ventilation for bedrooms allows fast cool down in the evenings.
- Shaded courtyards with water features for evaporative cooling and water conserving shade vegetation are helpful.
- Light colours should be used to reflect sun.
- Shaded openings and living areas securely ventilated at night can cool the thermal mass for next day.
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| Design elements | Design essentials | Best practice design options | Recommended James Hardie materials |
| Siting | Build more compact shaped buildings, but with good cross ventilation for summer nights. | Protect from dusty summer winds, but also from strong cold winter winds. Provide solar access for winter combined with exposure to cooling breezes or cool air drainage in summer.. | |
| Sub-floor and floor | Use slab on ground where possible to incorporate high thermal mass. | Insulate slab on ground edges. If building on sloping sites using bearer and joist construction in steel or timber, insulate the sub-floor and reduce sub-floor ventilation to the minimum. In addition, close ventilation cavities through walls from the sub-floor to the roof to prevent heat leakage. |
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| Roof | Light coloured roofs to minimise solar gain in summer. Use bulk insulation in ceilings. | Controllable ventilation of roof space above ceiling. | |
| Walls | Use reflective insulation for effective summer and winter application, as well as bulk insulation. | Ventilated reflective cavities can minimise solar gain through walls in summer. Consider light weight construction for sleeping areas that are not used in daytime. | Any James Hardie cladding material in combination with carefully placed reflective foil insulation. |
| Openings | These climates favour reduced glazing areas, with very good shading in summer. Maximise night time cooling ventilation. | Consider design for convective (stack) ventilation, which vents rising hot air while drawing in cooler air. Use evaporative cooling, not airconditioning, if required. | |
| Clip-ons | Provide shaded outdoor living areas and consider adjustable to control solar access. Correctly proportioned eaves for summer shade to both glazing and walls. | Draught seal thoroughly. Use airlocks to entries. | For pergolas and adjustable window shading systems consider using HardiPanel compressed sheets or Scyon™ Trim battens, with appropriate design and detailing. See examples in The Smarter Design Book at http://jameshardie.com.au/ smarterdesign. James Hardie eave lining materials like Versilux and HardiGroove for soffits. |
| Landscape elements | Design for water conservation while using planting for shade and dust control. | Use garden ponds and water features in shaded outdoor courtyards to provide evaporative cooling. |
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