I live in Bangalore in an apartment on the top floor and during summer, my terrace (built of concrete) absorbs a lot of heat. When I come home and switch on the fan, it ends warming my room and it is not cool throughout the night. The sun doesn't shine through windows or the walls much since there are trees in my apartment which help, but it is the terrace that takes a lot of heat especially during afternoons. Can anyone give any simple DIY approach on how I can keep my terrace cool. (I am not looking to install any kind of air cooler.)
Some options I thought of were:
- Hang a cloth on some poles to cover the terrace.
- Keep plants on the terrace (not something my
association will approve)
Does any one have any ideas?
Best Answer
Im not sure what building codes or home owner's restrictions there may be but this is a common solution:
There are many types of variations that are tied to houses, stand alone, etc. It is basically a set of posts (or house attachments) with a top plate and vertical boards (pressure treated of course) affixed. This example then has cross bracing so there will be less warping over time. The key is to align the tall boards East to West so that as the sun rises its angled rays do not penetrate to the patio. The height and spacing of the vertical shade boards is based on sun angle mid summer since that is when the sun is highest. Do it right and there should only be sun on the patio when the sun is lower in the sky (winter, spring, fall) as well as possibly early morning and late evening.