from a historical standpoint... when I moved to Florida in 1955 home a/c was not common, and "cracker" homes were still around, typically identified as having...wood frame construction..two story thermal chimney height to provide up draft convection cooling, wide "dog trot" main hallway oriented to prevlent breeze NNW..I've seen one that had about 2ft open space at top walls for cross flow vent.... wide 8ft or so covered veranda porch typically on S,E,and W sides....cooking done in a separate out building connected by breeze way... double sash drop windows at corners of rooms, sheet steel roof 4/12 or better pitch (usually connected to cistern), and house was built on pillars 2ft off the ground. Large oak trees for shade. In the concrete block homes of the time most of the floors were terazzo (concrete and colored stone which was ground smooth)which acted as a thermal sink... took time to absorb heat which cooled during day and released at night...

In the Philippines my place down town was not air conditioned, but had a bed and pillow made of thin strips of bamboo that allowed air flow. That and a ceiling fan with a lot of windows worked.... some of the transit barracks at Clark AFB had open screened siding (both floor and ceiling level) with overhanging awnings. regards Les