When modern design features popular in temperate climates areapplied to new buildings in the tropics, the result is often hot, stuffy interiors that require costly refrigerated air conditioning. Concerned about the expense of air conditioning and the impact of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants on the global atmosphere, a researcher at UC Davis has studied traditional building designs in rural and urban Southeast Asia in an attempt to provide new, naturally cool building designs. "A number of design features common to old-style buildings can make both single-family houses and large-scale buildings quite comfortable, even in tropical climates," says William Chancellor, professor of agricultural engineering. This year, Chancellor studied 24 buildings at 14 locations in the Bangkok, Thailand, area. He found a number of design features that he suggests lay the groundwork for a naturally cool building design. For example, he found that the use of thatch or other insulating materials, in combination with common roofing materials, markedly improved interior coolness. Chancellor will discuss the study during his talk, titled "Cool Tropical Buildings: Lessons from Traditional Designs," to be given at 3:35 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 18.