Housing and Health Preservation: North-South Facing and Living Environment Requirements

Housing and Health

Housing, like food and clothing, is a crucial aspect of human life. Generally speaking, people spend more than half of their lives in their homes. The impact of the living environment on lifespan has long been a focus of health experts. Since ancient times, the working people of my country have created a wide variety of buildings, from imperial palaces and pavilions to mountain temples, stone houses, and bamboo houses, many of which align with the principles of longevity.

In most parts of my country, the orientation of houses is generally required to be north-south. This ensures that doors and windows face the sun, providing ample natural light and a comfortable temperature year-round. Good air circulation is essential to prevent dampness. Beds should generally be placed away from direct drafts from windows, ideally with the head to the west and feet to the east. Furthermore, with the development of industrial and agricultural production, the surrounding environment has a far greater impact on human health and lifespan than the house itself. Houses should be built in pollution-free, noise-free, quiet, and clean locations, avoiding areas with high-voltage power lines, strong electric fields, strong magnetic fields, and areas with ultrasonic waves or radiation. These factors are detrimental to health and longevity. Planting trees and flowers near the house can help reduce dust, noise, and regulate air quality. Of course, the layout and size of bedrooms, bathrooms, toilets, and kitchens should all meet hygiene requirements.

The volume of a room is usually considered an indirect indicator of indoor air pollution levels, using the carbon dioxide content in the air as a benchmark. A typical room can naturally exchange air 2.5 to 3 times per hour; therefore, a room volume of approximately 13 to 15 cubic meters per person is ideal. However, this level of housing volume is currently only achievable in rural and mountainous areas, and will only be gradually realized in cities.

The height of a room refers to the net height or average height from the floor to the ceiling. A certain height in a room is important to maintain necessary volume, meet lighting requirements, improve the indoor microclimate, reduce summer temperatures, keep the air fresh, and provide a spacious and comfortable feeling for the occupants, without adversely affecting body temperature regulation and higher nervous activity.

The size of a room should be determined based on the number of family members and their lifestyle. For example, if each person needs 15 cubic meters of room volume and the room height is 3 meters, then each person needs 5 square meters of living space.

Another factor determining the average living space per person is the ability to ensure people's normal daily activities, avoid overcrowding, and reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

Generally speaking, living conditions have some influence on a person's health and longevity, but they are not the decisive factor. They should be treated flexibly according to specific conditions and adapted to the time and place. If the role of housing in health is unrealistically emphasized, causing mental burden, it will be detrimental to health and longevity.

The depth of a room is related to lighting and ventilation. In a deep room, air stagnates further from the exterior walls, resulting in slower ventilation. Lighting is greatest near doors and windows, decreasing significantly at distances (2-2.5 meters). Furthermore, the higher the window and the closer its upper edge is to the ceiling, the easier it is for direct and diffused sunlight to penetrate the room, resulting in better lighting even for rooms farther from windows.