Property of architect Henry L. Kamphoefner, Raleigh, North Carolina

You can't change the weather but you can analyze its make-up and welcome only the parts you want to live with in your house. Before building his house in Raleigh, North Carolina, architect Henry L. Kamphoefner (he is Dean of the School of Design at North Carolina State College) compiled all the weather information he could and set to work accordingly. He found that summer temperature in Raleigh hovers in the 80's, sometimes goes as high as 104°, and since relative humidity ranges between 70 and 90 per cent, good ventilation is essential not only at night but throughout the day. Most of the breeze (80 per cent) is south- west, veering southeast, so these are the best exposures except for the hot westerly sun. Keeping these facts in mind, he angled his house broadside to the breeze, faced the living wing to the shady southeast; put the bedrooms (where ventilation is most important at night) on the sunnier southwest. Outlets at the roof ridge keep the air in motion. Indoors, the rooms depend on cork and flag- stone floors for visual coolness. Thanks to these weather-wise design techniques, this southern house enjoys indoor climate 10 to 15 degrees cooler than nature provides.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | May  1951