[somewhereoutth]

Maybe we need shade structures - a shade above/around the building and detached so that air flows underneath and there are no thermal bridges to the building proper. Like you would make to protect tents at e.g. Burning Man.

[zeryx]

That's called a tree, they work quite well! A little time consuming to grow to sufficient height however

[somewhereoutth]

Great for low density single storey dwellings, not so helpful for medium/high density multi-floored residential.

[JKCalhoun]

In theory, houses are close to this. The attic is supposed to allow air to flow—the house itself having an insulating blanket on all sides.

My home though appears to have very limited air flow in the attic-space. I'd like to get those "twirly things" installed on the roof to bring the attic-space air temperature down.

[franktankbank]

I have a temp controlled fan (I should verify its working). The thermostat is downstairs so the upstairs where we slept was generally 5 F hotter. Installed that fan near the roof peak (actually replaced an existing vent) and it made a big difference in the summer.

[rusk]

Already in widespread use https://www.sips.org/what-are-sips

[somewhereoutth]

But there is no airflow inbetween the outside and the building core - the panels are still part of the building itself.

[rusk]

https://steelroofsheets.co.uk/categories/ventilated-wall-cla...

[somewhereoutth]

The key point I'm trying to make is that the shade structure or outer shell should be separated by at least 50cm, and in such a way that even the slightest breeze moves air though it.

[rusk]

Yeah I think that’s done. Tragically this technique coupled with a poor selection of materials was the structural cause of the grenfell fire. We see this kind of panelling around various European cities. “Cladding” it is called and it serves a few different purposes with regards to thermal management.