As a part of our daily routine, we are all conditioned to see the world around us. We look at buildings and think that they are just there – not taking into consideration the value of old architecture.
However, if one decides to take a look at some of the historical buildings, he will notice that there is something special about them, something that makes them stand out from others and that’s how high they were.
In this post, we’ll talk about why do old buildings have high ceilings?
Let’s find out!
Why Do Old Buildings Have High Ceilings?
In the old days, people were smart. They built their houses in a style that was optimal for the weather conditions. They had high ceilings, large windows, and design elements that directed airflow throughout the house. In other words, they didn’t build their houses to look pretty; they built them to keep warm during the winter and cool during the summer.
Today, we are building houses that are energy efficient, but not necessarily optimal for climate control. From an ecological standpoint, we should be returning to the sustainable architecture of our ancestors.
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1. For Sunlight
Architecture is an art form that has evolved over thousands of years. The most basic elements of architecture are the floor, walls, and ceiling. This was true in ancient Egyptian times, and it’s still true today, but the materials used to construct the ceilings have changed dramatically.
Many people think that old buildings have high ceilings because of low ceilings were a way to save on materials. The truth is that old ceilings were built high for practical reasons like sunlight.
If you notice today many people want to get sunlight but they couldn’t as the modern home designs are pretty much useless when it comes to getting proper sunlight.
2. For Better Ventilation
Some older buildings have high ceilings to allow for better ventilation. Architectural elements can reveal a lot about a building’s past.
For example, some old buildings have high ceilings, which is actually a very clever solution to the problem of poor indoor air quality that plagued the industrial revolution era. Taller ceilings allowed for better overall ventilation, which was important because early furnaces were so smoky and caused huge pollution problems in cities.
3. A Trend Of The Old
Many historians now believe that the reason ceilings were so high in old European buildings was not because people were taller then, but because it was trendy. The ceilings were designed to make a room look as spacious and grand as possible, and they succeeded.
Continuing their trend of extravagance, Europeans built even higher ceilings in the next few centuries to further impress guests. It’s only been within the last few hundred years that we’ve lowered our ceiling heights to fit our buildings into smaller spaces.
