As someone who was in Europe for one of the heatwaves of recent years, and whose appartment was in one of these older buildings designed this ways with thick walls etc., I can attest that this only works up to a point. This design relies on there being cold air for the building to retain. However, in a heatwave it doesn't even get cold at night. The result is your apartment gradually heating over a period of days / weeks and turning into a sauna. It is not pleasant.
By the end of that summer I was dreaming about moving back to north america where air conditioning is much more common in rental units.
By the end of that summer I was dreaming about moving back to north america where air conditioning is much more common in rental units.