ORIENTATION

AR. ERNESTO B. BERMIDO, MSARCH.

 INTRODUCTION
1

PRIMARY GOALS

WHAT IS
2

AREAS OF GROWTH
ORIENTATION 3-5

TIMELINE
6-10

SUMMARY
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WHAT IS ORIENTATION?
Orientation is how a building is
positioned in relation to the sun’s
paths in different seasons, as well
as to prevailing wind patterns. In
passive design, it is also about how
living and sleeping areas are
designed and positioned, either to
take advantage of the sun and
wind, or be protected from their
effects.
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KEY POINTS
•Orientation is the position of your home in
relation to the path of the sun and the
prevailing wind in your region.
•Because the path of the sun in Australia is to the
north, orientation is usually about whether
the living areas of your home face north.
This is because north-facing rooms receive
sun for the longest period of the day in
winter and are easily shaded by the eaves of
the roof in summer.
•Warm humid climates (coastal locations
above the Tropic of Capricorn) are the
exception, where orientation is about
access to cooling breezes and shade.
•Good orientation can significantly improve
your comfort and reduce your heating
and cooling needs. The best orientation
for your home is the one that suits your
climate zone.
•Identify your climate zone to see whether you need to focus
on orientating your home for passive heating,passive
cooling, or both.
•You can also do more detailed research on your region and
site to find out about ocal weather patterns and
prevailing breezes.
•Orientation for passive heating aims to maximize northern
exposure of walls and windows, while reducing east
and west exposure to avoid overheating in summer.
•Orientation for passive cooling aims to eliminate solar
access with appropriate shading (especially to the east
and west), and maximize access to cooling breezes.
•Orientation for warming in winter and cooling in
summer aims to maximize northern exposure
of walls and windows, but block solar access with
appropriate eaves and other shading in summer.
•Good orientation can be achieved on almost any
block, even small blocks, with careful design.
•Good orientation is best achieved when you are
buying or building a home, but some
improvements can be made through renovation.
Why is Good Orientation Important?
Principles of good orientation
To achieve good orientation, the most important factors to consider
are:
•the climate of your region
•true north and sun angles for your site or building
•optimum building design for your climate zone
•the effects of climate change.
Ideally, you should choose a site or home with good
orientation for the climate in your region, and build or renovate to
maximize the site’s potential for passive heating and passive
cooling.
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 Your climate
• Your climate will dictate your heating and cooling needs, and
thus the best orientation for your home. Some climates need
mainly passive heating, some need passive cooling, and most
need a combination of both. Bear in mind that the climate is
warming, and hotter summers with more extreme heat waves
will become the norm during your home’s lifetime.
• To understand your climate, you can first check your climate
zone. This will give you a broad idea of your heating and
cooling needs in each season. You can also conduct research to
find out more about your local conditions, especially prevailing
breezes.
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 True north and sun angles
• In Australia, the main solar access comes from the
sun’s path in the north. When people talk about
orientation, they generally mean how your house –
and especially living spaces – are orientated with
regard to true or ‘solar’ north.
• All references to north in Your Home are to solar north,
not magnetic north.
• True or solar north is not the same as magnetic north.
Solar north can be significantly different from magnetic
north, depending on where you live.
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 • To determine the appropriate
orientation for your home, you
will need to establish true or solar
north for your location. Use maps,
a street directory, or a compass to
establish magnetic north and then
estimate true or solar north by
adding or subtracting the
‘magnetic variation’ for your
location using the following map.
Most smartphones have a
compass app that can be set to
show true north.
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 •You will also need to determine the sun angle
in different seasons for your region,
because the position of the sun varies
across regions. Knowing the angle of the
sun at different times of the day and
different seasons will allow you to design
window and shading elements to best
capture or block solar access, depending
on your needs.
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Calculating sun angles for south of the Tropic of Capricorn (left) and north of
the Tropic of Capricorn (right) at midday. North is on the horizontal axis.
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 Orientation for your climate
• North-facing walls and windows receive more solar
radiation in winter than in summer because the sun
is lower in the sky. East- and west-facing walls and
windows receive more sun in summer in the early
morning and late afternoon when the sun is lower
in the sky.
• Your building design and how you treat north-facing
walls will determine how much solar access your
home receives.
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 How much solar access you want will depend on your climate zone. Briefly (remembering
that these climate zones are averages, and each site will have unique characteristics):
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 •In Climate zone 1 (Hot humid summer, warm
winter), Climate zone 2 (Warm humid
summer, mild winter) and Climate zone 3 (Hot
dry summer, warm winter), aim to use design
and shading to minimize direct sun on all
façades, while capturing and funneling cooling
breezes. In these climate zones, in locations at
higher altitude on the Great Dividing Range or
in the inland arid zones, solar access to north
façades is recommended.
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 •In Climate zone 1 (Hot humid summer, warm
winter), Climate zone 2 (Warm humid
summer, mild winter) and Climate zone 3 (Hot
dry summer, warm winter), aim to use design
and shading to minimize direct sun on all
façades, while capturing and funneling cooling
breezes. In these climate zones, in locations at
higher altitude on the Great Dividing Range or
in the inland arid zones, solar access to north
façades is recommended.
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 •In Climate zone 4 (Hot dry summer, cool
winter), Climate zone 5 (Warm temperate)
and Climate zone 6 (Mild temperate), the
aim is to balance winter sun and summer
shade. North orientation of living spaces is
desirable, because the position of the sun in
the sky allows full sun access in winter. In
these climates you can easily shade northern
façades in summer with simple horizontal
devices such as eaves.

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 •In Climate zone 7 (Cool temperate) and
Climate zone 8 (Alpine), the aim is to
maximize solar access. North orientation of
living spaces, combined with appropriate
glazing and thermal mass, will enable you to
take best advantage of solar access to heat
your home.

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 Climate change
• When deciding the best orientation for your
home, bear in mind that the climate is warming.
Hotter summers with more extreme heat waves
are becoming more frequent. Passive heating is
still very desirable in most climate zones, but
passive cooling is becoming more important.
Additional attention to shading of windows and
walls (particularly west facing) and exposure to
cool breezes and other forms of natural cooling is
needed.
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 Achieving good orientation

•Orientation for passive heating

• Orientation for passive heating is about using the
sun to heat your home in winter and keeping
unwanted summer sun out. Orientation for
passive heating is most suitable for parts of
Climate zone 3 and Climate zones 4–8.

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 • In most climates,
passive heating can be
achieved relatively
easily by locating living
areas and windows on
north-facing walls to
let in low-angle winter
sun and using
horizontal shading
devices to exclude
high-angle summer
sun.

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 The best orientation for living areas is solar north; however, orientations of up to
15° west of north and 25° east of north still allow good passive sun access.

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 • Variations in orientation towards east and west can even have
advantages in some climates and for some activities. For
example, in cold climates, orientating your home slightly west of
north increases solar gains in the afternoon when they are most
desirable for evening comfort, but east of north can warm the
living areas of the home more in the mornings, improving
daytime comfort for those people who are at home then. In
warmer climates, orientating your home to capture local breezes
will improve comfort. Breezes will vary from site to site
depending on local topography and climate zone.
• Poor orientation and lack of appropriate shading can exclude
winter sun and cause overheating in summer by allowing low-
angle east or west sun to strike glass surfaces at more direct
angles, increasing solar gains.
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 The site
• For good passive
heating, choose a site
that can accommodate
north-facing living
areas. Good
orientation can be
achieved on blocks of
all different directions.

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 • However, achieving good solar access on smaller sites is
more likely on north–south blocks because they receive
good access to northern sun with minimum potential for
overshadowing by neighbouring houses. In summer,
neighbouring houses can provide protection from low
east and west sun.
• Narrow blocks with tall neighbouring houses may limit
the options for solar access. On narrow blocks, careful
design is required to ensure there is enough north-facing
glass for adequate passive solar heating.

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•North–south sites on the north side of the street
allow north-facing living areas and gardens to be
located at the rear of the house for privacy.
•North–south sites on the south side of the street
should be wide enough to accommodate an entry at
the front as well as private north-facing living areas.
You can set the house back to accommodate a north-
facing garden and consider creating a private outdoor
living courtyard with plantings or even a garage on
the northern boundary where planning permits.
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• Sites running east–west should be wide enough to
accommodate north-facing outdoor space.
Overshadowing by neighbouring houses is more likely on
these sites — particularly if multilevel housing is
permitted — because winter sun is lower in the sky,
particularly in southern latitudes.
• A north-facing slope increases the potential for access to
northern sun and is ideal for higher housing densities. A
south-facing slope increases the potential for
overshadowing. Your design for solar access should not
compromise that of your neighbours.
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 • Smaller individual lots in a subdivision are ideally located
on north-facing slopes where they still receive solar access
at increased densities.
• South-facing slopes can be better suited to medium
density if design strategies are used to overcome the
impacts of overshadowing. For example, party walls can
be designed to provide thermal buffers and smaller floor
areas can be solar heated with carefully designed and
shaded east- or west-facing windows using the right type
of glazing.

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 The home

• For passive heating, the ideal orientation for living areas

is within 15° west and 20° east of true or solar north.
Standard eave overhangs will allow winter sun to heat
the building and exclude summer sun with no effort from
the occupants and no additional cost. Poor orientation
can exclude winter sun and cause overheating in summer
by allowing low-angle east or west sun to strike glass
surfaces.

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 Buying a home
• Choose a home with living spaces that have good access to
winter sun. Look for a suitable area of glass on north-facing walls
with access to winter sun; as a general guide this should be 10–
25% of the exposed thermal mass floor area of the room.
• Check that there is not too much west-facing glazing and that it
is properly shaded to prevent overheating. Bear in mind that
external shading devices can be added later.
• Check that there is no significant overshadowing of windows and
roof by nearby buildings and trees.

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 Building a new home
• Build close to the south boundary of the site to protect
solar access and maximise sunny, north-facing outdoor
living areas, while ensuring you do not cause
overshadowing to southern neighbours.
• Locate living areas on the north side of the home to take
advantage of winter sun and locate openings to capture
cooling summer breezes, taking care to ensure proper
shading as well.
• Use smaller, well-shaded windows to increase cross-
ventilation to the south, east and west.

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 • If your view is to the south, avoid using large areas of
glass to minimise winter heat loss, and ensure
the glazing is well insulated with double glazing and
thermally broken frames.
• Avoid west-facing bedrooms to maintain sleeping
comfort.
• Locate utility areas (laundries, bathrooms and garages) on
the south or west side, where possible.
• Plant deciduous vegetation on the north side to allow
winter sun in but provide summer shade.
• Landscape using fences and plantings to funnel cool
breezes and block or filter harsh winds.
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 Choosing a home off the plan
• Choose a design that allows daytime living areas to face
between 15° west of north and 20° east of true north on
your site. Most off-the-plan builders will mirror or flip a
design to suit your needs at no extra cost.
• Turn north-facing covered verandas into pergolas by
replacing roofing material such as tiles or metal with slats
or louvres, particularly over window areas.
• Reduce the amount of south-, east- and especially west-
facing glazing, or relocate some to north-facing walls.
• Shade east- and west-facing glass by adding or relocating
shade structures, such as verandas and deep covered
balconies.

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 Choosing an apartment
• Choose an apartment with good orientation
because external modifications such as shading are
often prohibited by owners corporation rules.
North-east corner units, north–south cross-over
(split level) or cross-through (one side to the other)
are ideal. Avoid units facing west.
• Look for solar access to living areas.
• Look for north-facing living areas and balconies or
sheltered balconies or courtyards with winter solar
access.
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 Renovating
• Adjust floor plan and orientation to trap the winter sun
and encourage summer breeze flow by adding new
windows, changing openings and relocating rooms.
• Relocate living areas to the northern side of the home to
take advantage of winter sun and cooling summer
breezes.
• Increase glazing on north-facing living areas.
• Prune vegetation that blocks winter sun; alternatively
plant deciduous vegetation that allows winter sun in but
provides summer shade.
• Plant shade trees in appropriate locations; landscape to
funnel cool breezes and block or filter harsh winds.
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 •Prune vegetation that blocks winter sun; alternatively plant deciduous vegetation that allows winter sun in but provides summer shade.
•Plant shade trees in appropriate locations; landscape to funnel cool breezes and block or filter harsh winds.

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 Orientation for passive cooling
• Orientation for passive cooling keeps out unwanted
sun and hot winds while ensuring access to cooling
breezes. Some passive cooling is required in most
Australian climates. In hot humid climates that do
not have cool winters, orientation should generally
exclude direct sunlight and radiant heat (from
nearby structures) at all times of the year while
maximizing access to cooling breezes. However,
note that some localities in these climate zones
(higher altitude or arid zones) will still benefit from
winter sun access.

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 The site
• In tropical areas, northerly solar access is not
desirable. Land with a south-facing slope
provides increased shade. South is ideal for views
because south-facing windows require minimal
shading.
• In all warm climates, look for a site with good
access to cooling breezes. Ensure that landscape
and adjacent buildings funnel rather than block
beneficial breezes and provide shade to all walls.

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 Cool breezes can come from a range of directions
depending on your region. For example:
• near the coast, breezes are generally onshore
• in many inland areas, there are no regular
breezes during the day; however, at night, cool
air currents can form as cooling night air flows
down slopes and valleys
• in flat inland regions, brief thermal currents
created by day–night (diurnal) temperature
differences occur later at night or in early
morning.

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 You can find out about the prevailing winds in
your area on the Bureau of Meteorology’s
website. These data will relate to the specific
location of the weather station. Because
winds are also influenced by local topography,
combining the data with detailed local
knowledge is always ideal.
Breezes can be diverted, so find a way to
direct them through your home using fences,
outbuildings, plantings and windows.
Note
Landforms, vegetation or other buildings can
change the direction of breezes by up to a few
hundred metres. Talk to your neighbours or
spend time on your site in hotter seasons to
identify the direction of your most reliable
cooling breezes.
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Orientation for challenging sites
• Small blocks
• Designing a house with ideal solar orientation can be challenging on a
small block. The following diagrams show how good orientation
principles might be applied on small lots in eastern Australia. Breeze and
wind directions should be reversed for Western Australia and adapted to
suit local conditions in other regions. The passive heating principles
remain the same.
• For cool or cold climates the orientation in the following diagram
maximizes late afternoon solar gains and allows morning sun in winter. It
excludes summer sun from west and south-facing windows and
minimizes exposure to westerly winds while allowing reasonable breeze
access.
• Dense planting to the west shades walls from summer sun and protects
them from cold winter winds.

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 • For warm temperature climates, the orientation shown
below maximizes exposure to cooling breezes but
reduces passive solar heat gains. It requires shade
plantings to the west to eliminate solar gains through
south-facing windows in summer and protect the
house from westerly winds.
• In warmer climates, shade plantings on the east are
also required but should not block breezes. Clerestory
windows along the spine of the house can increase
solar and breeze access to sleeping areas.

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 • For temperate climates, a simple configuration
(diagram below) allows for passive heating of living
areas during the day, and cooler, southerly sleeping
areas during the night.
• In cooler climates, a thermal mass wall separating
these zones would transfer solar warmth to
sleeping areas.
• In warmer regions, passively shaded clerestory
windows along the spine of the house would allow
hot air to escape from bedrooms in summer while
allowing in a small amount of winter sun.

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 • For hot humid climates, the orientation shown below suits Darwin, where
cool breezes come predominantly from the north-west, and it can be
simply reconfigured for east- or west-coast tropical sites.
• It divides the home into separate pavilions to maximise the cross-flow of
breezes. Canopy trees partially overhang the roof and shade all walls
without blocking breezes. Where such shading can’t be achieved, an
elongated east–west floor plan will limit low solar access to east and west
walls.
• Both the building form and understorey plantings are designed to funnel
breezes into the building and allow them to escape.
• A pavilion design allows hybrid cooling, where 2 pavilions might be free-
running and the third designed and insulated for air-conditioning.
Installing a thermal mass dividing wall in the third pavilion with non-air-
conditioned sleeping spaces behind it would help create night-time
sleeping comfort after the early evening air-conditioning is switched off.

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 Limited solar access, no solar access, or no cooling breeze
access
• On sites with poor orientation or limited solar access,
high levels of thermal performance are still achievable
through careful use of different strategies and systems.
Strategies include:
• low mass construction
• sealing your home
• carefully designed glazing and shading systems
• hydronic heating that ‘borrows’ solar energy from the
roof and distributes it to the house.

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