The placement of a site, structure, or area regarding the directions and, more crucially, the path of the sun is known as solar orientation.

Everything has a certain orientation and relationship to the sun's travel across the sky, whether it's your site, home, or even a single room in the home. 

Simply put, with the right solar orientation, you are protected from strong or cold winds, but you can harness breezes to cool your home when it is too hot.

When designing a home or planning renovations, there are considerations such as local climate, view, terrain, vegetation, street access, and noise.

You'll have to weigh these against the advantages of harnessing the sun's energy for heating and breezes for cooling.

Solar Orientation and Room Positioning

• Rooms facing north
• Rooms facing east
• Rooms facing west
• Rooms facing south 
• Outdoor living areas
• Air locks

1. Rooms Facing North 

Where feasible, the primary living areas, such as the living, family, and dining rooms, should face north. Rooms facing north:

• have good daylight most of the day 
• have solar gain for most of the day all year 
• have horizontal shade to reduce overheating in summer 
• have strong passive solar gain in winter

2. Rooms Facing East

East-facing rooms are ideal for kitchens and breakfast areas since they benefit from early morning sun gain all year and are cooler in the late afternoon when evening meal preparation takes place. 

They:

• get nice morning light
• throughout the year, there will be sun gained in the morning to provide initial warmth
• will be cooler in the late afternoon.

Bedrooms facing east will be cooler in the late afternoon and evening, making them more suitable for summer sleeping. Early risers prefer east sun in areas they will use first thing in the morning, such as breakfast bars.

3. Rooms Facing West 

Because west-facing rooms receive low-angle, late-afternoon light, they normally require some shade to minimize warmth and excessive glare, especially during the summer.

They:

• have a nice afternoon light
• For much of the year, it can overheat in the late afternoon.
• Vertical shade may be required in the afternoon to prevent excessive warmth and glare.
• supply adequate direct sun gain for night-time thermal mass heating of living rooms

A west-facing orientation is appropriate for a living room in families where the residents are away during the day but return home in the evenings. The heat from dinner preparation coincides with low-angled afternoon and evening sun, potentially producing glare and overheating.

4. Rooms Facing South 

South-facing rooms are unsuitable for living quarters because they have minimal or no heat gain.

They are most suited for garages, laundry rooms, bathrooms, toilets, workrooms, and stairs, where people spend little time and/or use seldom.

5. Outdoor Living Areas

In general, outdoor living areas should face north to obtain sunlight when in use. As described in location, orientation, and layout, locating the structure to the south of the site will result in a north-facing outdoor space.

STUDIO - PARC REGENCY - bedroom

6. Air Locks

An air lock or gap between the outdoor and interior living areas is an extra design component for both heat retention and heat exclusion. Air locks are very beneficial in areas with heavy winds.

An air lock must be able to be closed off from both the outside and within areas, and it can be:

• a reception area (which can usefully provide storage for coats, shoes, and so on)
• a laundry room 
• a mudroom
• an attached garage - a garage with a huge garage door that is highly air leaky and is frequently not insulated may not be the most effective airlock area.

The area should be large enough to allow doors to be opened easily, since a lack of room would likely result in a door being left permanently open, undermining the purpose of the air lock. Sliding doors are not a good option since they are draughty and difficult to seal.

The Bottom Line 

The sun's course varies slightly depending on where you are in the world. Once you understand how the sun travels across the sky, you can plan your home or bedroom renovation to adapt to that movement.

So, before beginning any renovation project, it’s recommended to understand how to position rooms to take advantage of the sun when it is desired while avoiding scorching and glare.