What each face offers
This editorial overview assumes a mid-latitude northern site with seasonal heating and cooling needs, not all of the northern hemisphere. Confirm the actual sun path for the location.
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| Face | Exposure to check | Possible room-use fit |
|---|---|---|
| South | Summer / winter sun near noon; seasonal shade | Living spaces where seasonal gain is useful |
| East | Low sun near morning occupied hours | Bedrooms or breakfast areas if heat / glare suit |
| West | Low sun in late afternoon; shade and glare | Evening spaces if unwanted gains are managed |
| North | Diffuse light and any direct sun at occupied hours | Screen-based work if the actual light suits |
At suitable mid-latitudes, an equator-facing overhang can use seasonal sun-height differences. A shallow overhang may miss low east or west sun near sunrise or sunset; its effect depends on depth, window geometry and the actual ray. Your Home includes deep verandas and adjustable screens among shading options, so overhead shade does not universally do nothing.
For southern mid-latitudes, check the corresponding equator-facing strategy locally. Within the tropics, do not just reverse north and south: check both faces through the year. Your Home’s hot-humid guidance calls for shading all external openings, including south-facing ones in Australia.
Orientation comes before arrangement
Establish what each face of the site offers before fixing room positions and sizes. Orientation, use, structure and planning constraints need to be tested together; glazing alone is not a remedy for an unchecked layout.
Place rooms by when they are used
- Morning rooms — bedrooms, breakfast space — benefit from east light.
- All-day rooms — living, dining, family space — need controllable light and gains for the climate.
- Afternoon and evening rooms — if the household lives in the evening, west light is an asset rather than a problem, provided the heat is managed.
- Rooms that add heat — kitchens, utility — are better off the hot face in warm climates.
- Rooms that need even light — offices, studios and screens — need glare checked for their actual aspect and occupied hours.
Glazing does not fix orientation
Increasing window area can add unwanted solar gain or glare. Compare glazing and shading with other ways of bringing useful daylight to the room:
Bring light from another direction. A rooflight, a clerestory, a light well or borrowed light from an adjacent space.
Reduce the plan depth. Daylight penetration is limited by room depth relative to window head height, so a shallower room lit from one side performs better than a deep one with more glass.
When the site decides for you
Narrow urban plots, fixed street frontages and single-aspect apartments frequently remove the choice. Use layout, section, shading and glazing together:
- Buffer the worst face with the rooms that tolerate it: store, utility, bathroom, circulation, garage.
- Put the important rooms on the best available aspect, even if that means an unconventional arrangement — living space at the back, or upstairs.
- Use section rather than plan. Check whether roof or high-level openings can bring useful light past site obstructions.
- Accept and design for it. Test west-facing living-room glazing and external shading against the climate and occupied hours.
Check before you commit
Confirm true north and the site’s latitude, then record obstructions before assigning rooms. Copy the record for summer and winter and for the actual morning, noon and evening use times.
Swipe sideways to see the other columns. The first column stays visible.
| Face / room / use time | Season and obstruction | Observed / modelled shade; action |
|---|---|---|
| ___ | Neighbour / tree / landform: ___ | Date / method / uncertainty: ___ |
| ___ | Height and location: ___ | Window / screen option: ___ |
Use local sun-path data rather than angles copied from the sketches. Check external shading where needed with passive design basics.
For the rest of the layout, see room adjacency and space planning basics; the floor plans and space planning guide ties the reasoning together.
Frequently asked questions
What if the site forces a bad orientation?
Use the plan rather than the glazing. Put rooms that tolerate poor light — utility, store, garage, bathroom, circulation — on the worst face as a buffer, and bring light into the important rooms from another direction or from above.
Are north-facing gardens always bad?
No. Assess latitude, season, time, neighbouring obstructions and garden depth. For a mid-latitude northern site, the house may shade part of a north-side garden while other areas receive sun. A compass label alone does not establish useful sun or the best room layout.
Can rooflights fix a dark room?
Rooflights can provide another daylight route, but their result depends on sky access, geometry and glazing. Check unwanted solar gain, glare, shading and local climate before using them to compensate for a dark room; opening area alone does not establish the outcome.
How do I check orientation before buying a site?
Stand on it at different times of day if you can, and check the sun path for the latitude. Note what overshadows it — buildings, trees, landform — because a south aspect behind a tall neighbour is not a south aspect in practice.
Sources
- Orientation — climate-specific layout and solar access — Australian Government, Your Home Accessed October 8, 2026.
- Shading — sun angles, east / west and tropical shading — Australian Government, Your Home Accessed October 8, 2026.