Compact settlement
Narrow shaded streets & self-shading mass
Born in Persian desert towns, Chinese siheyuan groups, Rajasthani old cities.
How it works
Buildings packed close, with tall light-coloured walls and narrow lanes, shade each other and the streets, cutting solar exposure of the urban skin and creating cool air channels.
In a modern home
Cluster-massing in townships, self-shading building arrangement, high-albedo external finishes, shaded pedestrian spines.
What it answers
Built from
Source
Desert-urbanism studies of Yazd and Jaisalmer; Baruch Givoni on compact, self-shading form.
Follow the threads
Overhanging balcony & deep verandahshares overheating, no shading, block & filter the sun→Projecting eave / sunshadeshares overheating, no shading, block & filter the sun→Wetted vetiver screenshares overheating, no shading, cool→Broken-tile reflective roofshares overheating, block & filter the sun, cool→Buffer & transition spacesshares overheating, no shading, cool→Orientation & inward-facing plansshares overheating, block & filter the sun, cool→