I was brought up on the Florida Gulf Coast, an oppressively hot, humid and windless climate for 9 months of the year, before home air conditioning existed (we used to go to the movies just to cool off in the summer).

The architecture evolved there to deal with this; settlement there in the 19th century, when long dresses and woolen suits were still considered indispensable in public, was not postponed until electrical cooling was invented.

Houses were built a foot off the ground so air could circulate below them, ceilings were high so convection would direct rising hot air up to gable vents. Windows were tall and plentiful to catch the breeze, and porches and awnings allowed them to remain open when it rained, or in the shade when it was sunny. Long hallways allowed breezes from any direction to penetrate deep into the house. (Hence the term "shotgun house", a man inside could cover all four doors from one spot). White frame siding and tin roofs reflected sunlight, and landscaping took advantage of existing (very old) live oaks for shade. Those sturdy giants had already survived many hurricane seasons and could be relied on for shade, but did not restrict air flow near the ground.

The new, mass-produced concrete block houses built after I was born were fitted with tiny windows and jalousie glazing, flat black tar shingle roofs, no porches or awnings, and low to the ground. They were cheaper to build, but uninhabitable unless air conditioned. And of course, the trees were bulldozed away so they could cram more lots on each parcel.

Public buildings like courthouses and post offices (mostly built during the New Deal in order to provide jobs)also took advantage of architectural details to help deal with the climate. A few fans in the lobby made the courthouse a place to duck in out of the heat when shopping downtown. Modern office buildings have to be evacuated during power failures.

The energy crisis is real, and has no easy solutions, but much of it is of our own making, and the result of false economies and sheer greed. Architecture is only one place where we showed poor judgment. In order to take advantage of temporary savings, we painted ourselves into corners we are now stuck in. And it always seems that it is easier to find new sources of energy than simply to learn to use less.