Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-17

very largely the complaint that, notwith-
standing the nights in the valleys are uni
formly cool and refreshing, in
great number of dwelling-houses up
per rooms remain heated immeas-
urabIy TO the inconvenience of occu-
pants. The trouble is that fully one-half
the people who erect buildings in Califor-
MIA do not build to the climate. In all
the valley cities and towns one will often
est see dwelling houses erected upon the
climatic plan adapted to San Francisco. or
a coast town. That is to say, in fully one
half the houses of the valleys there is
either insufficient space between roof and
ceiling, or there is total absence of venti-
lation between the two, or both errors are
to be observed in combination. The
traveller in southern Spain or Italy will
note how admirably every structure is
adapted to the climate. The traveller in
California cannot but observe how i'll
adapted to climatic conditions our
home structures are, as rule. The Mexi-
can and early Spanish residents in this
State built with a knowledge of climate in
California, and the results were buildings
that, while homely and violative of all
architectural graces, were eminenfly and
admirably adapted to resist all discomfort
ing climatic influences. In the heated
term" prevailing for week past the old
thick-walled adobe, with its spacious
rooms, ample court, broad caves and
endless inclosing verandas has been
coveted by all who understand its
capacity to contribute to human
comfort. But in fully half the modern
residences in the warm valleys of Califor-
MIA there is made no provision for shelter
from the heat such as the residents of the
south of France, Italy or Spain, and in
deed of all tropic and semi-tropic coun-
tries would make. 1t is the commonest of
errors to find the living room for the fam
ily unsheltered from the afternoon sun, to
find the roof low and fiat, and the space
between ceiling and roof Theoretically
sealed, practically, and, as a result, per-
feet oven in summer, into which on hot
day no one valuing life would venture.
Here and there dwellings will be found
with broad Slated or screened openings
below the caves and above the plane of
the ceiling front and rear, allowing free
passage of air and etiectually preventing
excessive heat in upper rooms. In others
these ventilating passages are cut into the
over-hang of the roof, and serve the pur-
pose in part. The truth is the fiat roof
dwelling is out of place in California val
leys. The old style pitching roofs with
high ridges are the best for all purposes,
and afford greatest protection to jewellers
beneath them because it is a matter of
such ease to secure a flow of cool air be-
tween root and ceiling in such houses.
House builders in the valleys should be
more liberal in the supply of courts, els"
and wings that afford sheltered hooks of
retreat from excessive heat. They should |
fairly surround the house with projection
shelters that the living rooms may be
spared the glaring sun at high noon in the
hot season, and the beating of the storm
in the wet season. We need an architec-
ture adapted specifically to our climate /;
the taste We now cultivate does not give it |
to us save in rare cases.