Understanding Orientation
What is orientation?
Orientation is the direction in which a property is orientated towards. It refers to the position of a structure on its site, and it’s typically described by the compass direction that the front facade of the structure primarily faces. Usually, we take the North direction as the base and consider all the other directions, based on the site orientation.
When considering land for building, orientation is carefully analyzed by buyers to make sure that the position of the room and windows are in the right direction, so as to maintain the local climate in the house.
Benefits of good orientation
- Drastically increasing the energy efficiency of your home while decreasing the effect of your building on the natural environment.
- Impacting the heating and cooling of your building depending upon home location
- Helping in maintaining an optimal temperature in your living environment
- Helping owners with reducing their energy bills
- Maintaining comfort and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Choosing the direction for your home
The orientation of property also plays a vital factor with regard to its appeal and practicality for the proper functioning of the house. Thereby, the choice of the best direction is always a strong debate. See below the pros and cons of choosing orientation for your new home:
South Direction
The southern side is considered to be the most luminous direction.
Advantages :
- Sufficient sunlight in the home
- Lower energy bills
- Better gardening and landscaping
- Access to natural lighting and ventilation
- Comfortable micro-climate during winters
Disadvantages :
- Too much heat gain during summer
- Can get costly
West Direction
West-facing homes can be enjoyable as the evening sun is less harsh than the morning sun.
Advantages :
- Illuminating during later half hours of the day
- Comfortable during winters
- Pleasant afternoons
Disadvantages :
- Sticky during the afternoon
- No natural light or illumination
- No energy efficiency during any season or climate
East Direction
The eastern direction brings new life and day to your home. It brings new hope to your space. It has its own pros and cons.
Advantages :
- Fresh Morning daylight
- Provides shade in the backyard during the summer mornings
- Second best orientation for solar heat gain
Disadvantages :
- Hot front yard and uncomfortable warm house in the morning hours.
North Direction
The north direction is considered to be the best orientation in the climate of Australia. Because the path of the sun in Australia is to the north, living room orientation is usually facing north. This is because north-facing rooms receive sun for the longest period of the day in winter and are easily shaded by the shades in summer.
Advantages :
- Lower electricity bills by reducing cooling demands during summers
- The porch will capture lesser heat
- Favorable for warmer regions in the northern hemisphere of Australia
Disadvantages :
- Natural lighting is less at the front of the house than back
- The demand for high heating consumption during winters
Understanding geography
After all the understanding, it’s time we understand the merit and value of the building. If the value of the building is good, one should opt for renovation without any hassles and long approval waiting time, or else rebuilding comes with an added advantage of having own tailored home. It gives you the opportunity and the freedom to design your own home based on your family’s needs and happiness. The last decision surely rests upon you, and Bildy helps you make the right decision, along with flexibility, affordability, and lifetime surety.
Australia is a country with different climatic zones where there are temperatures extremely high during summer and very low temperatures during the winter. Due to these mixed climates, houses are designed differently all over the continent. The north of Australia is known for its warm climates and thereby a north-facing living room is the best.
For cities like Melbourne located in the southern hemisphere, North facing living areas draw the sun for the longest amount of time during the day. The opposite stands for Northern Hemisphere, where people would want to reduce the heat and summer sun, thereby having cooler places by having more landscaping and gardening.
Capturing the angle of the sun:
In Australia, the main solar access comes from the sun’s path in the north. People usually wish to orient with regard to true or ‘solar’ north. Solar north can be different from magnetic north, depending upon the location. The reason for inclination towards capturing the true North angle of the sun is to allow radiant heat to enter the house. It works best to heat your home when falling onto hard surfaces and tiled floors.
Maximize all angles:
Your house should be orientated in such a manner that all the directions and angles can be optimally used. No direction can be bad. One must orient each room in such a functional manner that each room receives less/more heat or cooling depending upon the use.
Passive heating/Capturing warmth:
Orientation for passive heating is about using the sun as a source of quick home heating by letting the winter sun in and capturing warmth inside the house. It can be done by using horizontal shading devices to exclude higher angle summer sun and admit lower angle winter sun.