Step into a building on a hot afternoon and you know immediately if it was designed well. Before you notice the finishes or the furniture, your body responds- the air moves or it doesn’t, the space feels heavy or unexpectedly cool. In hot climates, architecture announces itself through comfort long before aesthetics come into play.
Across much of Africa and other warm regions, heat is not a seasonal inconvenience. It is a daily condition that shapes how people live, work, and rest. Yet for years, many buildings have relied on energy-hungry air conditioning systems to compensate for designs that ignore climate altogether. Increasingly, architects are questioning that approach and returning to a simpler idea: buildings should work with heat, not fight against it.
Long before air conditioning became widespread, people built comfortably in hot environments using orientation, materials, and airflow. Thick walls, shaded courtyards, perforated screens, and carefully placed openings were not stylistic choices, they were survival strategies, and as energy costs rise and cities grow hotter, these old ideas are becoming useful design tools again.
At the heart of climate-responsive architecture is an understanding of how heat behaves. Buildings that stay cool often share a few key principles. They are oriented to reduce direct sun exposure. They encourage cross-ventilation, allowing hot air to escape while cooler air moves through. Roofs are treated seriously, often lifted, shaded, or ventilated, since they absorb the most heat. Materials are chosen for how they store and release warmth, not just how they look. And layouts are designed to create shaded, breathable spaces rather than sealed interiors.
A raised roof allows hot air to escape before it enters classroom spaces, keeping interiors cooler without air conditioning. Image via Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
These principles may sound simple, but when applied thoughtfully, they make a measurable difference. A well-designed building in a hot climate can feel comfortable even without mechanical cooling, not because it ignores heat, but because it understands it.
Some projects demonstrate this especially clearly;
Gando Primary School, Burkina Faso.
Classroom spaces at Gando Primary School remain comfortable through natural ventilation and material choice rather than mechanical cooling. Image via ArchDaily/ Francis Kéré Architecture.
Designed by Francis Kéré, the Gando Primary School is often cited as a landmark example of passive cooling, and for good reason. Located in a region with intense heat and limited access to electricity, the school needed to remain comfortable without relying on air conditioning.
The solution lies in its construction. Thick walls made from locally sourced earth bricks help regulate indoor temperatures by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it slowly at night. A raised, lightweight metal roof sits above the classrooms, creating a ventilated gap that allows hot air to escape before it reaches the interior. Openings are carefully positioned to encourage airflow, while deep overhangs provide shade.
The result is a building that stays cool through design rather than technology. Comfort is achieved quietly, through material intelligence and an understanding of climate, not through machines.
Mango Tree House, Lagos, Nigeria.
The Mango Tree House in Lagos is designed to encourage cross-ventilation through its layout, openings, and shaded spaces. Image via ArchDaily/ NLE Architects.
In Lagos, heat is combined with humidity, dense urban conditions, and unreliable power supply. The Mango Tree House by NLE Architects responds to these realities with a design that prioritises ventilation and shade.
The building is organised to allow air to move freely through living spaces, reducing the need for mechanical cooling. Openings are positioned to catch prevailing breezes, while shaded areas and overhangs protect interiors from direct sunlight. The layout reflects an understanding of how people actually live in the space, and the windows are not decorative, they are functional.
What makes the project notable is its quiet practicality. It does not present climate responsiveness as a dramatic gesture. Instead, it integrates cooling strategies into everyday domestic architecture, proving that comfortable design in Lagos does not have to be complicated or imported.
Brick Weave House, India.
Perforated brick walls at Brick Weave House filter sunlight while allowing constant airflow, helping regulate indoor temperature. Image via ArchDaily / 4site Architects.
Studio Mumbai’s Brick Weave House offers another perspective on designing for heat. Rather than sealing the building off from its environment, the architects embraced porosity.
The brickwork is designed to allow air to pass through the structure, creating constant ventilation while filtering sunlight. Courtyards further encourage airflow, while deep shading prevents heat build-up. The materials do much of the work on their own, no complex systems are required.
In monochrome photographs, the building’s texture and shadow patterns are especially striking, but its success is felt more than seen. The space remains cool because its form, material, and layout are all aligned with the climate it inhabits.
What these projects share is not a specific style, but a mindset. They treat heat as a design condition, not a problem to be solved later. Instead of relying on energy-intensive systems to correct poor decisions, they embed comfort into the building itself.
This approach is gaining renewed attention as architects rethink sustainability beyond certifications and buzzwords. Designing for heat reduces energy consumption, lowers long-term costs, and produces buildings that feel better to occupy. It brings architecture back to local methods developed through experience and practical needs.
In hot climates, comfort is often invisible when it is done well. You don’t notice the ventilation because it feels natural. You don’t think about the roof because it quietly shields you from the sun. But that invisibility is precisely the point.
As cities continue to warm, the most effective architectural responses may not come from advanced technology, but from careful design choices grounded in climate, context, and common sense. Buildings that work with heat do more than keep people cool, they remind us that good architecture starts with understanding how a place actually feels, and designing accordingly.
