Recapturing the Breeze: Computational Simulation of Natural Ventilation in a Raised Creole Cottage

This research investigates the environmental behavior of naturally ventilated historic, vernacular architecture in hot-humid climates using a computational simulation and analysis methodology to better understand the role of historic adaptive comfort strategies within the contemporary context of sustainable and energy efficient preservation design. The Pitot House, a raised Creole cottage, located in New Orleans, LA that has been heavily modified from its original environmental configuration will be studied in depth to highlight the importance of this approach in its ability to recreate historic configurations, visualize past levels of human thermal comfort, and use this information to make informed, sustainable decisions in the design of preservation strategies.