ECO-HABITAT

My project is to design an eco-habitat in three different climatic zones in

India.

INTRODUCTION
The Climate of India comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a
vast geographic scale and varied topography. India hosts six major climatic
which are

1. Tropical wet
2. Tropical wet and dry
3. Semi-arid of Steppe
4. Humid sub-tropical (warm Summer)
5. Mountainous climate
6. Deserts of Arid

The three climates that I have chosen to design are Tropical wet, Tropical wet
and dry and Semi-arid of Steppe.

Tropical Wet
The most humid is the tropical wet climate, also known as tropical monsoon
climate, that covers a strip of south western lowlands abutting the Malabar
Coast, the Western Ghats, and southern Assam. India's two island territories,
Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, are also subject to this
climate. Characterised by moderate to high year-round temperatures, even
in the foothills, its rainfall is seasonal but heavy typically above 2,000 mm per
year. Most rainfall occurs between May and November. This moisture is
enough to sustain lush forests and other vegetation for the rest of the mainly
dry year. December to March are the driest months, when days with
precipitation are rare. The heavy monsoon rains are responsible for the
exceptional biodiversity of tropical wet forests in parts of these regions.

Abstract –

In order to change the situation of the buildings within poor

thermal performance and high energy consumption, effectual and energy-
saving architecture structure is nowadays an active demand. As vernacular
residence with low energy consumption is strong evidence on human beings
long term adaption to local environment, traditional dwellings could be
feasible conceptual design and optimization for modern architecture.
Introduction –

Thermal comfort can be defined as the satisfaction level of

human thermal sense responding to surrounding environment. As people
spend more time in buildings, indoor thermal comfort has paramount
significance on human health and productivity. However, it is a really
complicated issue, which concerns not only human behaviour, such as
activity level and thermal resistance of clothing, but also internal conditions,
such as air temperature and relative humidity. Occupants can have different
responses to same thermal conditions since sensation of warmth in the self-
regulatory system varies among people. Although adding mechanical
systems can improve the indoor thermal environment, energy consumption
and sustainability should be taken into account when dealing with building
performance. Therefore, vernacular architecture seems to be an alternative
solution. As climate changes in different places, vernacular architecture also
alters in different regions. Studying typical structure of vernacular architecture
in hot humid tropical zones could be a favourable start in the exploration on
the relationship between indoor thermal comfort and local buildings.

Vernacular Architecture and Thermal Comfort in Warm and Humid

Tropics
It is obviously more challenging to achieve thermal comfort in extreme
climates, such as tropical warm and humid climate. The main features of this
climate are the high levels in humidity, temperature and solar radiation. The
evaporative cooling in these places works inefficiently as the ambient air is
nearly saturated. Instead, ventilation comes out mainly for natural cooling in
houses. Consequently, in respect of local climate, traditional dwellings are
always constructed within

 large roof overhang and surrounded by huge trees.

 To maximum cross ventilation, the orientation is generally towards
prevailing wind
 the internal structure is kept as simple as possible, while the external
surface have numerous openings.
 Many houses are raised above the ground and some are supported by
silts allowing air flowing beneath.
 High ceilings are also preferred in indigenous architecture to optimize
stack effect, which provides opportunity for hot air forced by
buoyancy to release through top openings.
Climate Considerations for Warm and Humid Climate region like Kerala

Kerala, the southernmost state of India, which extends from 8°18’ to 12°48’’ N
latitude, 74°52’ to 72°22’ E longitude, lying between the Arabian Sea on the
West and the world famous Western Ghats with its ever green rain forests on
the East has a characteristic Warm-Humid climate.
The presence of high amount of moisture in the atmosphere for major part of
the year causes thermal discomfort as there is less evaporation, resulting in
sweating. This is more acute in summer when the air temperature is close to or
higher than the body temperature.
The predominant wind direction is from south-west to north-east. The
temperature of Kerala varies between 21 º C to 33 º C and relative humidity
varies from 65% to 70%. Kerala climate can be divided distinctly into two
seasons, rainy season and non-rainy season. The rainy season which lasts
about six months occurs due to south-west monsoon from June to August
and north-east monsoon from October –November. The winters and summers
come under non-rainy seasons.

Climate responsive design is the one that would provide a comfortable

indoor environment in response to the seasonal variations of the climate. The
vernacular architecture of Kerala has evolved through ages where the
climate has played a very important role. In the present context where
energy efficient and sustainable buildings have become the order of the
day, there is a need to revisit the vernacular architecture. This study illustrates
the need for a comprehensive investigation of Kerala vernacular architecture
to understand the climate responsive design techniques used for
comfortable indoor environment.

A major consideration for achieving thermal comfort in a warm and humid

region like Kerala involves issues such as:

 High humidity - Presence of excess moisture in the atmosphere

 Intense solar radiation
 High temperature
 Excess rainfall

This can be done by improving the air circulation by providing

 fenestrations and courtyards and enhancing the stack effect, so that

there is constant flow of air into the house
 Minimizing heat gain by providing appropriate shading devices for
fenestrations as well as walls.
 The spatial organization and site planning should be done in such a
way that the prevailing winds should never be obstructed and a
continuous flow of air should be maintained.
 Organizing rooms according to their daytime use and locating them in
appropriate positions would help to reduce heat gain.