CHARACTERISTICS AND DESIGN STRATEGIES OF HOT-HUMID ZONES

Md. Nawrose Fatemi-1008012004

Md. Mohataz Hossain-1008012013
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS
Hot Humid Climate and Its Geographical Distribution
Basic Climatic Factors
Psychological Factors
DESIGN STRATEGIES
Settlement Plan
Topographical Locations of Settlements
Form Organization and Outdoor Space
Built-Form Design
Orientation of Buildings
Shape and Volume
Type and Form of Buildings
Immediate External Space
Building Components
Foundations, Basements and Floors
Walls
Openings and Windows
Shading devices
Roofs
Other Issues
Surface Material
Natural ventilation
Daylight Consideration
Passive cooling means
CASE STUDY
Traditional and Vernacular Architecture
Malay House
Australia
CONCLUSIVE REMARKS
REFERENCE
OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is:

•To have extensive study on hot-humid climate with its

characteristics.

•To gather knowledge about the traditional/vernacular

architecture of hot-humid climate with its design strategies.
CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS Geographical Distribution

•Hot-humid climates are found in a belt near the Equator

extending to about 15°N and S.

•Examples of cities in this zone: Lagos, Dar-es-Salam, Mombasa,

Colombo, Singapore, Jakarta, Quito and Pernambuco.
CASE STUDY Vernacular and Traditional Architecture

Vernacular architecture is a term refers to buildings in

indigenous styles constructed from locally available materials,
following the traditional practice and patterns.

Vernacular architecture may be adopted and refined into

culturally accepted solutions, but only through repetition may it
become "traditional."
CASE STUDY The Traditional Malay House

•The traditional Malay house is a timber house raised on stilts. It

is basically a post and lintel structure with wooden or bamboo
walls.

•A distinctive feature of the vernacular Malay house is its height

and/or steeply sloping roof with gables at both ends. The roof is
covered with a lightweight and excellent thermal insulator made
from the fronds of the local palm trees.

•Traditional Malay houses have at least two entrances by steps,

the main entrance at the front for visitors and males and the
one at the back mostly for women and children.

•One of the most congenial of the traditional Malay house is its

openness. The house is divided into areas, rather than rooms, for
various social and household activities. The three main areas -
the veranda, main house and kitchen - which are formed by slight
floor level changes and the positioning of doorways to separate
the different areas.
CASE STUDY The Traditional Malay House

Malaysian Climate and Environment

The climate of Malaysia) can be classified as Hot-humid

equatorial, characterized by high temperatures and humidity.

Air temperature averages within 22-32 C with small annual

and diurnal ranges.

Humidity is high through the year, averaging about 75% or

more. With heavy clouds covering the high water vapour
content in the air
The winds are generally of low-variable speed. Strong winds
can occur with the rains.

Rainfall is also high throughout the year averaging 250 to

300 cm annually. Rains become more intense with the
monsoons.

Vegetation growth is sometimes difficult to control under

the good conditions of air, moderate heat and high rainfall.
CASE STUDY Rural settlement and house compound

The house compound in the

village is meticulously well-kept,
with the compound well swept
and planted with vegetables and
fruit trees.

The wells and toilets are usually

located in the compound, spaced
far apart and kept away from
the house.

The village is randomly

distributed with Malay houses,
trees, compounds and paths. The
houses look similar and blend
harmoniously with the
environment.
CASE STUDY Rural settlement and house compound

There are usually not many main roads in the village except
occasionally for the access road leading into the village.

There is no clear geometric order in the layout of the village.

Instead, the layout is determined by the social relationships and
the culture and lifestyle of the villagers.

House sites are traditionally selected by observation and

religious rituals. Houses are spaced far apart for future
expansion, tree-planting and privacy.

Houses are joined by free-flowing paths winding around the

houses. House compounds flow into each other. Few obstructive
physical barriers are used to demarcate territories.
CASE STUDY Climatic Considerations

Thermal comfort requirements

The main causes of climatic stress in Malaysia are, “…..high

temperatures, solar radiation, humidity and glare”.

Therefore, to achieve climatic comfort in the modern Malaysian

houses, these factors must be controlled.

For thermal comfort, heat gain by the body from the

environment through solar radiation or warm air must be
minimized to constant temperature of around 37ºC.

Direct and indirect solar radiation, hot air, together with

conduction and radiation from the building fabric are also the
main sources of heat gain to the body.

Thus, to achieve some degree of thermal comfort, the saturated

air envelope around the body must be removed.
CASE STUDY Climatic Considerations

Thermal comfort requirements

it is clear that to achieve thermal comfort in the hot humid

climate, solar heat gain by the building and human body must be
minimized while heat dissipation from the body must be maximized
by ventilation and evaporative cooling.

The deep understanding of such thermal comfort requirements

and the nature of the Malaysian climate is reflected in the
climate adaptation of the traditional Malay house discussed in
the following sections.
CASE STUDY Climatic Considerations

Climatic Control Design Requirement

The design and form of the traditional Malay house is to provide

a total control on three climatic factors, Wind, Rain and Sun.

the Malay house should provide the following points to attain

optional climatic control;

Allow adequate ventilation for cooling and reducing humidity.

Use building materials with low thermal capacity so that little

heat is transmitted into the house.

Control direct solar radiation.

Control glare from the open sky and surrounding.

Protection against rain.

Ensure adequate natural vegetation in the surroundings to

provide a cooler environment.
CASE STUDY Climatic Considerations

Design Approach for Ventilation

Basically, the concept of

ventilation in the Malay
traditional house is a
combination of three approaches;

Ventilation from top

Ventilation from bottom

Cross ventilation (at body level)

CASE STUDY Planning Layout

Site Planning

Two main criteria of the Malay house are:

Random arrangement of houses. This ensures that the wind

velocity in the houses in the latter path of the wind will not be
substantially reduced.

Malay traditional houses are built on stilts. As velocity of wind

increases with altitude, the house, particularly at body level
ensures the capture of winds of higher velocity.

Orientation

Traditional Malay houses are often oriented to face Mecca (i.e. in

an east-west direction) for religious reasons. The east-west
orientation minimizes areas exposed to solar radiation. This
orientation also suits the wind patterns in Malaysia (north-east
and south-west).
CASE STUDY Planning Layout
Building Layout

The elongated open plans of the traditional Malay house allow

easy passage of air, assuring cross ventilation is achieved.

Minimal partitions allow good air circulation within the internal

part of the house.

Openings

Windows and doors are the main elements for ventilation at

body level.

Having many full length operable windows and doors at body

level to allow cross ventilation.

Roof Elements

Roof spaces in the traditional Malay house are properly

ventilated by the provision of ventilation joints and panels in
the roof construction.

No ceiling panel is used, assuring no air blockage. Ventilated

roof space helps to cool the house.
CASE STUDY Built Form in Australia
CASE STUDY Design Strategies
In humid tropical climates, indoor air movement can be very
effective at cooling occupants. At night when winds often
decrease, ceiling fans are beneficial to indoor thermal comfort,
particularly in bedrooms.

Lightweight construction, with timber or metal framing clad with

timber or fibre-cement and metal roofing has the advantage of
cooling quickly in less than 1 hour after sundown. If this type of
construction has a radiant barrier in the roof, shading of walls
and windows, and cross ventilation, then indoor air temperatures
are rarely more than one or two degrees Celsius above outdoor
shade temperature.
CASE STUDY Design Strategies
Outdoor Living in the Humid Tropics

During the warmer months, the most comfortable space is

usually a shaded outdoor living space that catches the prevailing
breeze.

In many ways this space can improve thermal comfort and energy
efficiency in houses in humid tropical climates more than any
other feature of house design.

Space for Full Enjoyment of Outdoor Living

Key considerations in energy efficient houses in humid tropical

regions include:

A radiant barrier facing an air space in the roof or ceiling

construction to avoid radiant heat gain from hot ceilings

Air movement for cooling occupants, for example fans or

breezes

Shading houses and their surrounding environment

CASE STUDY Design Strategies

Indoor Air Flow

Ventilation grilles above doorframes to ceiling level in naturally

ventilated houses, allow hotter air near ceilings to flow through
the house to vent through the ceiling into a ventilated roof
space with an exhaust fan or wind powered vent.
CASE STUDY Design Strategies

Shading

Try to shade all doors and windows from direct sunshine with
awnings or sunscreens.

Recess windows about 600 mm back into external walls facing

into prevailing breezes to improve shading and air flow.

Fit lattice screens over windows increase privacy and provide

some sun shading.

Paint sheet metal surfaces of sun shading components with

white paint to reduce their temperature when exposed to solar
radiation by reducing absorption and increasing heat loss by
infrared radiation.

Further reduce solar heat gain through external glazing by the

use of light coloured drapes to reflect solar radiation back out
through the glass.
CASE STUDY Design Strategies

Window and Door Type

Replace existing sliding windows with louvres or casement

sashes, hinged on the side that will enable the sash to catch
the prevailing summer breeze to improve air flow.

Replace sliding doors with hinged or folding doors to improve air

flow.

Extend window openings as close to ceiling level as possible to

encourage venting of hot indoor air.

Avoid bay windows unless they are well shaded

REFERENCES

•Givoni, B., 1969. Man, Climate and Architecture, 1st ed., Great Britain; Elsevier
Publishing Company Limited.
•Koenigsberger, O. H., Ingersoll, T. G., Mayhew, A. & Szokolay, S. V., 1994. Manual of
Tropical Housing and Building, 6th ed., India, Orient Longman Ltd.
•Krishan, A., Baker, N., Yannas, S. & Szokolay, S. V., 2004, Climate Responsive
Architecture: A Design HandBook for Energy Efficient Buildings, New Delhi, Tata
McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited.
•Gut, Paul and Ackerknecht, Dieter, 1993, Climate Responsive Architecture, 1st ed.,
Switzerland, SKAT, Swiss Centre for Development Cooperation in Technology and
Management.
•Aynsley, Richard M., 2006, Guidelines for Sustainable Housing in the Humid Tropics,
Part 1, Our Heritage, James Cook University.
•Aynsley, Richard M., 2006, Guidelines for Sustainable Housing in the Humid Tropics,
Part 2, Strategies for Design, James Cook University.