How does the house face north and south?

Whether the house faces north or south generally depends on the orientation of the large balcony in the living room, which is the main orientation of the house. Opposite the balcony of the living room is a secondary orientation. If there are balconies or windows in the second orientation, it is called double orientation. The north-south orientation means that the balcony of the living room faces south, and the second orientation opposite the balcony of the living room also opens a window or balcony, which is called the north-south orientation.

Architectural orientation mainly refers to the facade of the building, or the direction of the main facade of the building. There are two situations here. First, for residential buildings, the main facade refers to the facade where the main room is located; Second, public buildings, the facade or main facade may refer to the most prominent and important facade in the image of the building, or the facade where the main entrances and exits are located.

Generally speaking, in order to get good sunshine, buildings in temperate and cold regions mostly adopt the layout of "two rewards facing south", which is determined by the seasonal variation of solar radiation intensity of buildings facing the surface. Buildings facing south get less heat in hot summer and the indoor temperature will not be too high, but in cold winter, they can absorb more radiant heat and maintain a relatively warm indoor temperature. Traditional homestays in northern China, such as Beijing Siheyuan, Northeast Siheyuan and Shanxi Siheyuan-style dwellings, strictly abide by the layout principle of facing south.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-architectural direction