If you’ve been on TikTok or Instagram lately, you’ve probably seen the latest home wellness trend: “house burping.” The advice is simple. Open your windows for five minutes several times a day to “air out” your house and improve indoor air quality.

It sounds harmless. Even sensible. The idea has gained so much traction that NPR and The New York Times have covered it.

As an architect who designs houses for hot, humid climates, I’ll say this plainly:

For most homes, in most climates, this is bad advice.

Southern vernacular architecture is rooted in pragmatism: its forms, materials, and spatial logic evolve from climate, landscape, and way of life. In our coastal Lowcountry, traditions like raised piers, deep porches, narrow floorplates, and cross‑ventilation were not aesthetic afterthoughts; they were essential strategies for comfort and resilience.

Southern vernacular architecture is rooted in pragmatism: its forms, materials, and spatial logic evolve from climate, landscape, and way of life. In our coastal Lowcountry, traditions like raised piers, deep porches, narrow floorplates, and cross‑ventilation were not aesthetic afterthoughts; they were essential strategies for comfort and resilience.

Living and building near the coast means confronting storms mightily. The goal isn’t merely survival, but resilience: limiting damage, reducing downtime, and enabling faster recovery.

Designing for hot, humid climates is a holistic process. It combines the laws of physics with client-centered design, tradition with innovation, and beauty with durability. The result is a home that feels right in every sense. It is cool, comfortable, resilient, and undeniably Lowcountry.

Building enclosures for hot humid climates

Tom Rhodes becomes certified as a Fortified Home Professional, adding to the firms expertise in designing for resilience

Also known as "two pens and a passage," the dogtrot is an early southern home design that meets today’s need for resiliency in hot and humid climates.