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0 pointsGlenTheMachine8y ago0 comments

Correct. Antebellum houses are surprisingly comfortable. The ceilings are twelve feet high, and the houses are one room wide with massive windows on both sides. And the walls are often brick, stone, and/or plaster, which gets cool at night and stays cool for much of the day.

The old plantation house on my family's farm is 120 feet long and only 20 feet wide. It's situated on the top of the highest hill for a mile in any direction, and oriented precisely to the prevailing winds. Brick foundation, horsehair plaster walls, and a detached summer kitchen.

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equalunique8y ago

Appreciate the architectural discussion. Reminds me of an architectural feature of ceilings in ancient buildings. I cannot recall the name of it, but it did allow for cooling of the buildings. The design would consist of a lower ceiling with the middle gone. An upper ceiling would extend over this. The section between the ceilings would have openings to allow for light and ventilation. Wish I could remember the name of this design.

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