Originally Posted by
Joe in PNG
It's interesting to consider how much the physical environment had an effect on how houses were designed back in the days before A/C and effective heating systems. Which led to some very interesting and cool regional styles.
For instance, in various hot climates, houses would be designed to maximize passive cooling. So, you'd get steep roof pitches and high ceilings (gives the hot air somewhere to rise to), big porch areas (keeps the sun off the walls, and gives a cool place to hang out), large windows (more airflow), tin roofs (reflects a lot of sunlight), and so on. All of which are pretty terrible in cold weather, but nice in the heat.
With artificial climate control, you can pretty much do anything you want, within reason. Which has sadly led to a lot of the kitch in house design, often in places where it doesn't really fit.