Philippine Architectural Design Paradigms
Copyright 2013 Architecture Advocacy International Foundation (AAIF), Inc.
1.1 Architectural Paradigm 2 : Architectural Design for the Tropics (Hot-
Humid Philippine Climate)
1.1.1 Buildings/ Structures
Climate and Solar Orientations:
 In the Philippines, the prevailing winds are the heavy, very wet and
destructive southwest monsoon winds (the ‘habagat’) which blows from
March through September and the cool, pleasant but equally strong
northeast monsoon winds (the ‘amihan’) which blows from November
through mid-February; October is usually the transition month; in some
parts of the country, particularly along the eastern seaboard i.e. the
Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the easterly winds are quite strong
while in the western part of the Philippines i.e. in the vicinity of the West
Philippine Sea, the north wind (the ‘daplak’) is also quite strong;
 The Philippines is visited by anywhere from 15 to 22 storms/ typhoons
annually, some of which are super-typhoons, with wind speeds in excess
of 225 kph, with gustiness in excess of 270 kph, coupled with very heavy
rains and storm surges, all of which are very destructive;
 The long axis of buildings must run along a North-South (N-S) direction
inasmuch as the actual sun-paths actually run along a southeast to
southwest (SE-SW) direction for about seven (7) months a year i.e. circa
September through April and along a northeast to northwest (NE-NW)
direction for about three and one-half 3.5 months a year i.e. circa May
through August (reference Figures 1 and 2); the one and half months in
between are transition months, part of which has the sun traversing an
east to west direction twice a year;
1.1.2 Topography
Sites with slopes in excess of eighteen percent (18%) are by law considered
NON-buildable and must NOT be made to host habitable buildings, mainly
due to the instability of the soil; and
Site grading and cut-and-fill building solutions must be kept to an absolute
minimum to retain the topsoil as much as possible.
1.1.3 Energy and Emissions
Passive Design: Passive design is working with the environment to create
the most optimal conditions inside a structure, taking advantage of the
behavior of the sun and wind patterns simultaneously reducing the need for
mechanical lighting and air-conditioning, thus effecting energy conservation.
In the tropics, the main principles are avoiding heat gain, encouraging
natural ventilation, making use of natural light and creating cool outdoor
areas. ______(undated/ unpublished) DPWH.
Orientation: The placement of the building on the site and the arrangement
of the rooms inside it should be oriented in a way that windows and walls
allow maximum airflow, penetration of natural light while being easily
shaded from direct sunlight.
1.1.4 Orienting for Minimum Solar Heat Gain
Orienting the building for minimum solar heat gain must take into account
the general sun path for the Philippines as well as changes pertaining to site
conditions all throughout the year and designing to have all the walls shaded
from direct sun all year round.
It may be desirable to allow more sunlight to enter, depending on building
use. Certain hospital wards, solaria, children’s playrooms and sun porches
need plenty of sun, either during the whole day or at preferred hours of the
day because of its medicinal properties and anti-bacterial characteristics. In
factories and laboratories, the total exclusion of the sun is essential for the
protection of both chemical materials and employees working within. In
offices and classrooms, direct sunlight causes serious problems like visual
discomfort and eyestrain due to uneven illumination and reflected glare.
Therefore, in designing a particular device of sun control, the following
should be given careful thought to find the most satisfactory working
compromise:
 Protection of opening against other weather elements;
 Initial and maintenance costs of control devices;
 Exterior appearance;
 Minimization of noise penetration through openings;
 Arrangements for privacy, if required;
 Non-obstruction of the view from within; and
 Accessibility for the cleaning and maintenance of windows and the
sun control device itself.
 Orientation for Maximizing Air Flow
 Buildings should be oriented to make the most of prevailing winds.
______(undated/ unpublished) DPWH
1.1.5 Passive Ventilation
Energy intensive air-conditioning can be greatly reduced by designing in a
way that maximizes natural ventilation .
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Windows, doors and vents must be aligned in a reasonably straight line to
allow air flow through the building.
Internal obstacles such as internal walls should be minimized to allow
unimpeded ventilation.
Natural ventilation should be maximized by:
 Exposing windows to the prevailing winds in the locality during the hot
months if there are no constraints to such orientation and/or to a western
or eastern orientation to reduce solar heat loads;
 Properly sizing and locating the window opening for maximum cross
ventilation and/or speed up prevailing breeze;
 Adopting the ‘venturi’ principle in air movement to increase rate flow
inside buildings;
 Adopting the ‘stack effect’ principle where appropriate.
 Making proper layout of the buildings to avoid being in the wind shadow;
and
 Providing buildings with at least 2.0m setback from the property line
making provision for open courts or yards where feasible. ______(undated/
unpublished) DPWH
1.1.6 Passive Cooling
The ceiling cavity of a building may also provide an effective means of
replacing hot air with cool air from outside using convection. Roof ventilation
can be provided through the use of spinning vents placed on the roof top to
draw out hot air from the ceiling cavity due to their spinning motion, or a
ridge vent placed at the highest point that allows collected hot air at the
highest point to flow out. These are aided by installing vents in eaves or in
ceilings to allow cooler air in and promote better air flow through the roof
vent. ______(undated/ unpublished) DPWH
1.1.7 Thermal mass
Thermal mass refers to the capacity of a material to absorb, store and
release heat. The use of materials with lower thermal mass such as non-
banned timber is preferable on walls directly exposed to the sun. The use of
lightweight materials like timber enables the building to cool faster. The use
of heavy textures of non-timber materials i.e. that create light and shadow
features on walls directly exposed to the sun may help achieve the same
effect. ______(undated/ unpublished) DPWH
Philippine Architectural Design Paradigms
Copyright 2013 Architecture Advocacy International Foundation (AAIF), Inc.
1.1.8 Natural lighting
Designs should maximize the utilization of natural lighting in order to
minimize the use of artificial lighting during daytime, thus effecting energy
conservation and has been shown to increase productivity particularly in
workplaces.
Natural lighting or sunlight should be used to best advantage by:
 Providing rooms with adequate window opening with area of at least ten
percent (10%) of the room area served; windows should be glazed and
opening directly to a court or open spaces;
 Providing skylight where necessary;
 Providing setback or open courts as required in P.D. No. 1096; and
 Providing means of controlling direct sun rays into the building such as
overhangs, vertical or horizontal sun baffles, etc.
Natural lighting can be enhanced by aligning ceilings and internal walls to
maximize reflection of light sources, as well as using light colors on floors,
walls, and horizontal surfaces. This must be balanced with strategies to
manage heat gain and glare. ______(undated/ unpublished) DPWH
1.1.9 Energy Efficient Systems and Appliances
Building fit outs, if possible, should install the energy-efficient appliances
and systems to minimize building operational costs. These include the
following:
 Air-conditioning Systems;
 Lighting Systems; and
 Water Heating Systems.
1.1.10 Renewable energy
Investing in systems that make us of renewable energy, and renewable
energy generation systems help lessen greenhouse gas emissions and
increase energy security.
1.1.11 Transport
Sustainable building design encourages active and public transport by
building users. This helps lessen the carbon footprint of the building and its
workers and visitors. This can be done by:
 Situating the building near public transport routes;
 Providing safe and user friendly paths for walking and cycling as access
to the building; and
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 Philippine Architectural Design Paradigms
Copyright 2013 Architecture Advocacy International Foundation (AAIF), Inc.

 Provide facilities that encourage walking or cycling to work such as:

showers, lockers and bicycle parking facilities. ______(undated/ unpublished)
DPWH

1.1.12 Water and Wastewater

 Water Efficiency;

 Rainwater Tanks;
 Recycled Water; and
 Managing Stormwater.

1.1.13 Indoor Environment Quality

 Light quality and views to outside;

 Temperature Control;
 Noise;
 Air Quality;
 Low Toxicity Indoor Environment: Paints, Flooring
Materials: Various materials are the subjects of environmental regulation,
and consideration should be given to these in the design of new and
renovated buildings. Noxious building materials, including some types of
urea, formaldehyde, foam, insulation, must not be used. In renovation
projects, Architects should be aware of asbestos and industrial chemicals
such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Another material subject to
extensive regulation is lead paint.
New as well as recycled materials considered to be environmentally sound
are being used on construction projects. Gypsum board can be ground and
used as spray insulation, and some glass can be recycled and used in
windows. Some masonry, metal and aluminum can be reused. Not only is
such reuse environmentally sound, but it can be economically beneficial as
well. ______(undated/ unpublished) DPWH

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 Philippine Architectural Design Paradigms
Copyright 2013 Architecture Advocacy International Foundation (AAIF), Inc.

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 Philippine Architectural Design Paradigms
Copyright 2013 Architecture Advocacy International Foundation (AAIF), Inc.

References
1. http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=vMVFp_7zlaIC&pg=RA1-PA19&lpg=RA1-
PA19&dq=sun+and+wind+direction+in+the+Philippines+for+architectural+purpose&source=bl&ots=NBMdC
fD53U&sig=w8mPey_eAQRXdXCBcM7j1dXgcBE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NobPU6vCCM338QWG_4GACQ&ved=0CDw
Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=sun%20and%20wind%20direction%20in%20the%20Philippines%20for%20arch
itectural%20purpose&f=false
2. https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=sun+and+wind+direction+in+the+Philippines+for+architectural+pur
pose&tbm=isch&ei=q4LPU7qlGIWl8AWHjYH4CA#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=29AuJnHkPJe5hM%253A%3Bqtj
PBK17eMSxYM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi2.wp.com%252Fwww.cdodev.com%252Fwp-

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 Philippine Architectural Design Paradigms
Copyright 2013 Architecture Advocacy International Foundation (AAIF), Inc.
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p%253A%252F%252Fwww.skyscrapercity.com%252Fshowthread.php%253Ft%253D1535682%2526page
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3. https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=sun+and+wind+direction+in+the+Philippines+for+architectural+pur
pose
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