Page 23 - Vertical City

Chapter I

RECONCILING HIGH-RISE LIVING
AND THE SUN

The nature of the question

The isolated house at the top of a hill in the countryside
benefits, without any obstacles, from daylight, natural
ventilation and the view of the surrounding landscape.

Sunshine, luminosity and natural ventilation of a city
dwelling, as well as the available views, are more limited
and depend on its situation with regard to the neighbo-
ring structures.

Since ancient times, cities are built according to rules,
which determine the distance between buildings and
their height.

In our latitudes, and for ordinary streets, it is common
to plan the width (L) equal to or higher than the cornice
(H) of the buildings along the streets when their orien-
tation is north-south, or twice this height when their
orientation is east-west (the rule of L/H where the defi-
nition of L is widened to the general distance (length)
between constructions).