ventilation
This New Orleans shotgun apartment was built before air conditioning. What layout flaw makes it unbearable in summer today?
New Orleans shotgun houses were designed in the 19th century with cross-ventilation as a primary cooling strategy in the city subtropical climate, before mechanical air conditioning existed. The original design opened doors at both ends of the building to create airflow through every room. When shotgun houses are converted to apartments with closed interior layouts and no side windows installed, the middle rooms lose access to any natural air movement. This turns a historically climate-adaptive building type into one that requires constant mechanical cooling.