TROPICAL CLIMATE RESPOSIVENESS

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Admin | Leave a comment Main climatic divisions that we see in world are hot dry climate, warm humid climate, composite climates, and tropical upland climates. Among these Kerala has warm humid climate. The most imperative characteristic of this climate are, hot, sticky, conditions and the continuous presence of dampness. Air temperature remains moderately high in this climate. It is between 21 and 32 Degree Celsius. This will have a little variation between day and night. Humidity is high during all seasons. Heavy cloud and water vapour in air acts as filter to direct sun rays but clouds prevents radiation from earth at night. Thanks to high rainfall high vegetation growth is seen, which reflects the radiation and thus decreasing the heating up of ground surfaces. Passive Design Features: Major portion of energy consumption in a building is for Air Conditioning. So it is very important to reduce the heat load and hence save power consumption in cooling. Solar passive design techniques are implemented mostly to minimize the load on conventional systems like heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting. These techniques vary with climate. As we have warm humid climate, we mostly prefer passive cooling techniques. These techniques are cost effective as the mechanised power is not used for the functioning. To implement passive cooling techniques we should be aware about the sun path of our area. Sun path refers to the apparent significant seasonal-and-hourly positional changes of the sun (and length of daylight) as the Earth rotates, and orbits around the sun. The relative position of the sun is a major factor in the heat gain of buildings and in the performance of energy systems. Accurate location-specific knowledge of sun path and climatic conditions is essential for economic decisions about collector area, orientation, landscaping, summer shading, and the cost-effective use of solar trackers. Most immediate use is that, the solar azimuth and altitude can be read off directly for any time of the day and month of the year and proper orientation can be found. It helps in material application and position of openings. The sun paths are different due to factors such as the: 1) Location (local latitude) 2) Rising and setting position (based on the time of the year) 3) Duration of the day and night.

The following design features can be analysed by using sun path diagram. Orientation of building/Shading/Windows: We know that the sun travels from east to west through south. This makes seasonal changes. So there are some directions for building to make it cool, and hot. By analysing the sun path, we come to the inference that, significant heat gains occur between 06:30 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. on the east walls and between 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on the west walls, when the sun is low in the sky. Accordingly, windows on these walls are sources of high heat gain and should either be eliminated or reduced in size. Or else we can say that they should be protected or treated. This does not mean that all buildings must be rigidly shaped and oriented but that, different building shapes and orientations can be designed to perform efficiently by combining effective glazing, solar exposure, and shading into the building form. This competence can be improved by creating variations in the placement of interior spaces and by the use of such options as clerestories and skylights. At the same time we should consider other factors such as site, topography, shape of the available space etc. Depending upon these factors, orientations other than east and west sides is advisable. But studies shows that for most climates, an east-west axis is the most efficient for both heating and cooling. In an east-west oriented building, a north facing exterior wall will receive little sunlight during the winter and this will be a major source of heat loss since heat always moves toward the colder side. Additionally, building shading of north side open space is usually unusable for outdoor use. To alleviate these situations the building should be shaped so that the roof slopes downward from the south to the north wall. This reduces the height of the north face of the building and therefore the area through which heat is lost. This also allows sunlight to reach more area of north side outdoor spaces. Variations of reducing heat loss conditions manifest in north walls include backing the building into a sloped hillside or providing a berm, both of which reduce the exposed north area. Both of these measures accomplish the purpose of a south to north downward sloping wall.

INDOOR SPACE PLANNING Location, orientation and shape of the building are the consideration in interior space distribution. Habitable spaces that are most occupied and have the greatest heating and lighting requirement should be arranged along the south face of the building. Rooms that are least used (closets, storage areas, garages) should be placed along the north wall where they can act as a buffer between high use living space and the cold north side. It is also advisable to place service spaces that are unconditioned on the east and west sides. Garages, staircases, toilets, and service shafts can act as buffer spaces to minimize the ingress of heat into the habitable areas of the building.

Interior space should be arranged so that rooms with high heating and lighting requirements are arrayed along the south

In short, in warm humid climatic regions, we should minimize the building depth and window wall for getting more ventilation and should maximize south and north walls, and minimize west facing walls to reduce heat gain and also should maximize surface area for night cooling. Verandahs and balconies in traditional buildings keep away habitable spaces from direct sun light and hence reduce heat load to a big extent. SHADING Application of shading should be done according to the interaction of several factors. They are - Obstructing the solar heat gains from reaching the envelope and the interiors of the building -Non-interference with winter solar gains - Control of intense daylight by diffusing it in a uniform manner into the space - Unobstructed view from the windows - Admission and regulation of the ventilation of adjacent spaces These design objectives and the corresponding shading techniques differ according to the latitude, location, type of building, its schedule of operation, occupant activities, internal heat gains, and expected comfort conditions.

Good shading strategies can save 10%20% of the energy required for cooling. A group of buildings in a cluster can be so spaced as to mutually shade each other. However, effectiveness of the shading depends on the configuration and layout of the cluster, which the architect may not have much control over. Internal and external shading devices can be used effectively for solar control. Internal and external shading devices: The main aim of shading devices is to protect openings from direct solar radiation, while their secondary intent is to protect openings from diffused and reflected radiation. There are two primary classifications of shading devices. Fixed elements; Fixed elements are mainly external, and include horizontal overhangs, vertical fins, combination of horizontal and vertical elements, and balconies. Internal elements include light shelves and louvers. Adjustable elements ;Adjustable elements can be external shading elements in the form of tents, awnings, pergolas, or internal elements such as curtains, venetian blinds, rollers, and window shutters. Adjustable devices can be lifted, rolled, and drawn back from the window either manually or automatically in response to the changing radiation and day lighting levels. External devices are more effective as they obstruct solar radiation even before it reaches the interior of the building. Internal devices stop the radiation that has already penetrated inside. Only a portion can be reflected by their surfaces, while the remaining is absorbed, convicted, and radiated to the room. Thus, effectiveness of shading devices is mainly determined by their reflectivity. Additionally, these may conflict with day lighting and ventilation requirements as they block the openings in most cases. External shading devices are generally considered about 35% more efficient than the internal ones. BUILDING INSULATION: Insulation of walls and roof of the building is effective in reducing temperature fluctuations in non air conditioned spaces. Insulation of walls can be achieved by mineral wool, extruded or expanded poly styrene, poly urethane foam. Cavity walls also can bring down the indoor temperature considerably. This can be achieved by bonds like rat trap bond (cost effective). Providing an additional wall outside main structure with a cavity in between is a good option. Outside wall can be cladded with granite stones for more effectiveness. Aerated fly ash blocks and CLC blocks with millions of air cavities inside reduces the heat load considerably. Roof needs more priority in insulation as it receives maximum solar radiation. White washing the roof is one option to reduce heat. Roof can be painted with material which reflects radiation and has got water proofing properties. Foam based materials are also available for roof insulation. Roof garden on top of this insulating material will reduce the air conditioning load of top floors by 3 to 4 times. Sloping roofs can be done with steel truss on top of flat slabs. Cavity between two roofs will reduce heat and gives more space utilization. Filler slab with tiles in slab will reduce heat as well as cost.

Landscaping/Vegetation: Landscaping is effective in diverting airflow or heat exchange in a solar passive design. Vegetation can reduce the impinging solar radiation and modify air temperatures out door and indoors, to effectively reduce the cooling load of the building. Selection and position of trees should be strategically fixed to provide shade at most critical hours of the day. Deciduous trees planted in the west direction provide shade in the summer and sunlight in the winter when their leaves fall. Ever green trees provides shade and wind control around the year. Trees on East-South-East and west-south-west gives the best results as the sun is at low altitude in the morning and evening and casts long shadows. Bushes can act as vertical wing walls to shade windows on the east and west. Vertical trellis and pergolas covered by vines or creepers are very useful to shade faades. Hard surfaces and dark colored paving around a house should be avoided as it may increase the surrounding temperature. Vegetated areas should be used to reduce thermal discomfort. Fountains or water bodies as a part of landscape inside or outside the building with vegetation will reduce heat considerably. When water evaporates in to surrounding air, it lowers ambient air temperature. This is known as evaporative cooling. Court Yards: In residences/ high rise buildings, it is ideal to provide inner court yards. In traditional Kerala architecture, we have inner court yards for many buildings. Space within the building opens or vents opens in to this court yard.

This technique works well in warm and humid climate. A temperature drop of 47 C below ambient is possible. Courtyards and open spaces enclosed by built mass have been used traditionally to cool buildings. They operate on the principle of convective air movement. During the day, solar radiation incident to the courtyard heats up the air that rises to escape the enclosure.To replace it, cool air from the

ground level flows through the openings of the room, thus setting up the air movement. During the night, the process is reversed. If the roof surface

is sloping inwards, this cool air sinks into the court and enters habitable spaces through low level openings. To make this system work efficiently, a parapet wall should be raised around the perimeter of the roof to prevent mixing of air. Judicious planning and design of buildings can reduce the heat load and save energy from non renewable resources. Application of solar passive design techniques and renewable energy resources can save money and increase thermal comfort. So, let us incorporate this in our designs for a greener tomorrow.