Why don't we use awnings anymore (2022)

I've geeked out on thermal mass as much as the next guy, but I don't think it's a good solution at scale. Adding thermal mass is expensive, both due to the materials cost and that it's a niche building technique. Insulation, heat pumps, and solar all benefit from mass production and technology improvements. Combine them with light-colored roofs and solar panels, and that can probably beat thermal mass construction.

The material costs for adobe are almost certainly close to zero if you live in an area that can benefit from using it.

The labor costs for adobe have become very high, mostly it seems because the descendants of the families that started the amazing adobe brick "factories" no longer want to be dirt farmers.

> can probably beat thermal mass construction.

You have to define what "beat" means. My hundred year old adobe did not rise above 81F as an interior temperature this summer, despite outside highs around 100F. That would be possible (or even lower!) with the technologies you mentioned, but my adobe house did that with no energy utilization at all.

Could do both though, it’s not an either-or situation.

Thermal mass is also known as "dirt" or "rocks", and is not expensive.

Older technology is often neat in a lot of ways and has certain benefits, but there's a reason why we moved on.

The old-tech can also be less compatible with new tech. If you live in an adobe house the high thermal mass can also block WiFi.

Sometimes I wonder how many people who espouse old building technology have actually spent a lot of time living in an old house. Everything has advantages and disadvantages, and living in an old house growing up ... well, lets just say I prefer my modern house of today.

Do you want to be comfortable for reasonable AC cost or watch cat videos in HD instead of SD. Decisions, decisions.

And heaven forbid you try to use WiFi-enabled doorbells or AC controllers.

Heaven forbid I know how to extend WiFi ranges or otherwise accommodate outliers. If only such technology existed. But sure, getting off my ass to change the temp or see who is at the door is basically an unthinkable inconvenience in these modern times.

I thought this exchange was in good nature but the tone seems to point to something else. Have you ever lived in an adobe home? They can create a unique set of issues more modern methods don’t need to deal with.

Yes, most problems have engineering solutions. It all comes down to whether the juice is worth the squeeze. FWIW I’m generally in favor of the increased reliability of low tech, but also acknowledge I’m in the minority.

Sorry if you took that personally.

Living in a mud hut where it rains 120 days a year doesn't sound like the solution. Bricks work better.

Concrete is often used for thermal mass, too, and that is expensive.

That’s not an apology if that’s what you intended. Bricks are also inordinately more expensive. But you generally see adobe in dry climates. Again, engineering tradeoffs.

Rocks and dirt have been used forever - adobe!

Another option is water. Water is cheap, and you can pile up gallon jugs of it. Or use your pond/swimming pool.

Geothermal HVAC makes use of the thermal mass of rocks and dirt, too.