TROPICAL ARCHITECTURE

Arch. Alpher E. De Vera, Ma.Ed.,uap

 INTRODUCTION
• One of the more unfortunate aspects of
modern global development has been the
introduction and widespread acceptance of
the use of mechanical means for providing
desired comfort levels for human habitation.

...................neglecting the context of climate,

culture and land variations.
 CLIMATE
• Defined a region with certain
temperature,dryness,wind,light,etc.
• An integration in time of the atmospheric
environment of a certain geographical location.
• Encompasses the statistics of temperature,
humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall,
atmospheric particle count and other
meteorological elements in a given region over
long periods of time. The climate of a location is
affected by its latitude, terrain, and altitude, as
well as nearby water bodies and their currents.
• Macroclimate- The climate of a large geographic
area.
• Microclimate- is a local atmospheric zone where
the climate differs from the surrounding area.
The term may refer to areas as small as a few
square feet (for example a garden bed) or as large
as many square miles (for example a valley).
Microclimates exist, for example, near bodies of
water which may cool the local atmosphere, or in
heavily urban areas where brick, concrete, and
asphalt absorb the sun's energy, heat up, and
reradiate that heat to the ambient air: the
resulting urban heat island is a kind of
microclimate.
 TROPICAL CLIMATE

• Those region where heat is the dominant

problem, where the annual mean
temperature is not less than 20 degrees.
Characteristics of Tropical Climates
• Temperature – average mean temperature
(dbt) 20 – 30 deg.C
• Humidity Level – 50% to 100% Relative
Humidity
• Wind Conditions – Slow wind flow
– Prevailing wind in the Philippines:
Amihan (NE) – November to April
Habagat (SW) – May to October
 TROPICAL DESIGN
• This is concerned with countries where
discomfort due to heat and humidity are the
dominant problems.
• Tropical design is applicable to Tropical, Sub-
Tropical, and Equatorial Climates covering the
Southeast Asian Countries.
 The main characteristics of a building:

• It must perform the function for which it is

designed, i.e. provide adequate shelter for its
intended occupants;
• Provide adequate comfort for the occupants,
both to the immediate environment as well as
for services such as lighting, cooking, hot
water, etc.
 The energy needs for buildings, (3)
broad categories:
• That required for construction; encompassing
the inputs into materials, labour,
transportation, etc,
• That required to maintain the comfort of the
internal environment;
• That required to provide services to aid
comfortable living.
• These three (3) energy requirements can be
kept to a minimum with the application of
building design and construction principles
that exploit the indigenous materials and local
climate
• Thereby……“climate-responsive architecture”
 Global climate zones:
1) Polar
2) Cool
3) Temperate
4) Hot humid
5) Hot arid
 Climate in the Tropics:

• Warm Humid: Location

• areas between 7º north & south of the equator
• Warm Humid: Conditions
with high relative humidity
high average temperatures
cloudy skies
sky glare can be distressing
intense rainfall
abundant vegetation
fungi are a persistent problem
• Warm Humid: Countries
• Brisbane, Australia
• Indonesia
• Caribbean
• Barbados
• Venezuela
 Climate in the Tropics:
• Hot Dry: Location
• areas between 15º & 30º north & south of the
equator
• Hot Dry: Conditions
hot during day time, cold during night time
low humidity
clear skies
intense solar radiation
minimal rainfall
wind carrying dust and sand
• Hot Dry: Countries
• Arizona
• Dubai
• Qatar
• Mexico
 Climate in the Tropics:
• Hot Dry Maritime Desert: Location
• areas between 15º and 30º north and south of
the equator
• Hot Dry Maritime Desert: Conditions
areas with strong maritime influence
hot during day time, cold during night time
high humidity
intense solar radiation
• Hot Dry Maritime: Countries
• Arizona
• California
• Sta Barbara Country
• Mexico
 Climate in the Tropics:
• Monsoon or Transition: Location
• areas between 23.5º north and south of the
equator
• Monsoon or Transition: Conditions
dry and rainy
low humidity
strong solar radiation
strong winds
• Monsoon or Transition: Countries
• New Delhi, India
• Sri Lanka
• Bangladesh
• Myanmar
• Brazil (northeast & southeast)
 Climate in the Tropics:
• Tropical Upland: Location
• mountain regions, 900 meters above sea level
• Tropical Upland: Conditions
larger temperature swings
temperature is 24-30º during the day while
4-10º during night time
strong solar radiation
variable winds
• Tropical Upland: Countries
• Quito, Equador
• Nairobi, Kenya
• Savanna
• Jamaica