Shutters

Mediterranean houses are very different to British ones. All over Cyprus you can see shuttered windows, designed to keep the sunshine out of the house. Trees and vines are planted around doors and windows, which help to make the interior darker and keep the sun at bay.





Louvred shutters are even more popular. These keep the sunshine out while allowing a breeze into the house.



Well, one man's breeze is another man's draught, and in Northern Europe the houses are designed with exactly the opposite aims. We try to allow the maximum sunshine into the house, and fit sealed double glazing to keep the heat in and the breeze out.
I say you can judge a climate by it's houses. We spend a lot of time dealing with rain in Britain, and you see that in domestic and urban building details.

So, I am intrigued by the modern trend for the gutterless town street. The paved pedestrian road gives way smoothly to a pavement with just a nominal line of coloured blocks to mark the transition. 

OK, there is no gutter to trip over, but how does it deal with rain, I wonder?


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