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Architecture vocabulary · Sustainability and Environment

Orientation

Meaning in architecture, with examples

/ˌɔːriənˈteɪʃn/nounCore term

In architecture, orientation means: The direction a building, room or facade faces in relation to the sun, wind, views and the street.

In Turkish: yönlenme, yön, konumlanma

How it is used

One of the first decisions in site analysis and passive design. Architects talk about good or poor orientation and about south-facing or north-facing facades. In the northern hemisphere, living spaces often face south to get winter sun.

Example sentences

  1. The orientation of the site gives the living rooms sea views and afternoon sun.

  2. We rotated the block slightly to improve its orientation.

Common collocations

  • south-facing orientation
  • building orientation
  • solar orientation
  • good orientation
  • daylightNatural light from the sky and sun that enters a building; architects shape windows, rooflights and room depths to bring in enough of it without glare or overheating.
  • passive designDesign that keeps a building comfortable using the sun, wind, shade and the building's own form and materials, so it needs little mechanical heating, cooling or lighting.
  • site analysisA study of a site before design starts, looking at its size, slope, climate, sun, wind, views, access, surrounding buildings and planning rules.
  • cross ventilationNatural ventilation in which fresh air enters through openings on one side of a space and leaves through openings on the opposite side.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Sustainability and Environment

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