a very expert colleague asked me recently.

My response was something like: “Well, we just tell clients that a good shading over a window does the job.” But I knew I needed to explain myself better.

Back in architecture school, I was trained to use bioclimatic and thermal comfort charts—plotting temperature, humidity, air flow, and radiation to understand where comfort could be achieved with passive design. About 5 years ago, I refreshed that training with new digital tools that make the analysis much quicker: sun path diagrams, airflow mapping, comfort hours simulations, shading models. These are incredibly precise, and yes, they give me the technical backbone for my design choices.

But here’s the reality: in day-to-day practice clients don’t always connect with complex graphs. They respond to tangible, factual statements: “This orientation will cut your electricity bills by 20%.” or “This shading keeps the house cooler at night without air conditioning.” On smaller projects, speed and clarity matter more than scientific charts.

That said, on larger projects, with more time and more stakeholders involved, the situation changes. Detailed data and simulations become indispensable—not just for design, but to convince decision-makers. They also help demonstrate something I believe strongly in: that locally sourced materials (laterite, stone, bamboo, raffia, timber) combined with passive strategies are often the most effective, climate-responsive solutions. The tools don’t just confirm comfort; they prove why the local way works best.

So yes, I sometimes sound like I’m only saying “a good shading will do.” But the truth is, behind every line I draw, there’s a rigorous and methodological process—sun paths studied, winds mapped, thermal masses tested, shading devices simulated—because in climates like Madagascar, you can’t design responsibly without that foundation.

And here I am, at 4 in the morning, waiting in transit at airports, longposting about my life as a random architect working in the Global South—or really, anywhere else where comfort, performance, traditions and truth matter just as much as style.