When planning a residential home, it’s essential to determine the key factors that will influence the optimal functionality of the house to provide a high quality of life. In many cases, these key factors include the cardinal directions (north, east, south, west), prevailing wind directions, the location of the driveway on the plot, the building’s footprint, the intended yard area, and the views from the plot (towards the city, river, forest, etc.). However, there can be additional factors such as nearby noisy roads, tall neighbouring buildings, hilly terrain, or other specific site features that require proper evaluation.

The orientation of the plot and the house in relation to the cardinal directions also affects the amount of natural light inside the house. For example, rooms on the north side of the house will be in shade throughout the year, so it’s best to avoid placing living and bedroom spaces there. It’s essential to have as many windows as possible facing south, as this will help reduce heating costs. These windows should be highly insulated and soundproofed, and exterior shading devices like awnings or blinds should be installed above or in front of them. This will ensure a warm interior in winter and a cool one in summer.

The main living area of the house should typically be oriented to the south. The midday sun illuminates and warms the southern spaces, making it pleasant to spend time there throughout the day. During the workweek, family members often spend most of their time together at the dining table. There’s nothing more enjoyable than discussing the day’s events with your family against the backdrop of a stunning sunset outside the window. The prevailing wind direction is another crucial factor. The dominant wind can come from any cardinal direction. It can be strong or weak, cold or warm. If the wind is weak and blows from the south, it can be used for natural ventilation in the building.

For homes located in areas with a prevailing northerly wind, the building’s form should allow the wind to „slide” over the roof or have trees or shrubs planted as windbreaks to block the wind. To properly manage the wind, it’s necessary to plant compositions of coniferous and deciduous trees near the house. Conifers will shield the building from direct wind throughout the year, while deciduous trees can be planted in a way that directs indirect wind towards the house in the summer. Deciduous trees are planted in such a way that in the summer, by forming a barrier, they direct indirect wind into the building, and in the winter, when the leaves fall, the barrier is no longer effective and the cold, indirect wind does not enter the building. Deciduous trees have leaves in summer and no leaves in winter. This property of deciduous trees can be exploited to solve overheating problems in rooms with glass facades. In summer, the leaves of trees that have grown leaves form an impenetrable barrier to sunlight. This protects not only the glass windows but also the external walls of the building from excess heat. In winter, when leaves have fallen, the windbreaks no longer block the sun’s rays, and interior spaces are filled with pleasant sunlight and warmth.