Lately, architects designing high-end houses for wealthy, climate-conscious buyers have started working cooling techniques that were once common into their contemporary designs.
Take, for instance, the $15.2 million “Prairie House” on Miami Beach, a three-bedroom 3,200-square-foot luxury home designed by the Miami architect René Gonzalez. The building is designed to be “porous,” full of courtyards, breezeways and open spaces that allow breezes to flow through. The entire structure is elevated 14 feet above the ground, which not only allows the building to dodge floods, but also allows cool air to circulate under the floor. A single courtyard can lower a building’s energy bill by about 7% on average, according to a 2021 study from Spanish researchers at the universities of Cadiz and Seville.
In addition to the Prairie Residence’s courtyards and breezeways, plants grow on the roof and glass walls retract on cool days and nights to let in the breeze. Gonzalez dotted the property with shade trees and water features to cool off the air as it flows through.
“The effect is not only physical but it’s also psychological,” Gonzalez said. “The idea that you have air flowing around you and you see spaces and you see a water element or a pool also psychologically makes you feel cooler.”
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