AR8323 CLIMATE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

L T P/S C
2023

OBJECTIVES
To introduce the concepts of human heat balance and comfort.
To inform about the movement of sun and understand its impact on building design.
To inform about the effects of wind and air with respect to siting and design of buildings.
To give exposure to design strategies for building in different types of climatic zones.

UNIT I CLIMATE AND HUMAN COMFORT 10

Climate and Civilisation. Factors that determine climate of a place. Components of climate.
Classification of climate for building designers in tropics. Characteristics of climate. Human body
heat
balance and heat loss. Effects of climatic factors on human body heat loss. Effective
temperature,
human thermal comfort. Use of C. Mahony’s tables.
Exercise related to the above.

UNIT II DESIGN OF SOLAR SHADING DEVICES 14

Movement of sun. Locating the position of sun. Sun path diagram. Overheated period. Solar
shading.
Shadow angles.
Exercise in the design of shading devices through models/ calculations/ drawings/ software.

UNIT III HEAT FLOW THROUGH BUILDING ENVELOPE- CONCEPTS 10

The transfer of heat through solids. Definitions– Conductivity, Resistivity, Specific heat,
Conductance,
Resistance and Thermal capacity. Surface resistance and air cavities. Air to air transmittance (U
value). Time lag and decrement. Material qualities of envelopes.
Exercise involving calculation/ software for design analysis.

UNIT IV AIR MOVEMENT DUE TO NATURAL AND BUILT FORMS 12

The wind. The effects of topography on wind patterns. Air currents around building. Air
movement
through buildings. The use of fans. Thermally induced air currents – Stack effect, Venturi effect,
use of
court yard.
Exercise exploring air movement in architecture with physical models/ simulation through
software.

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UNIT V CLIMATE AND DESIGN OF BUILDINGS 14

Design strategies in warm humid climates, hot humid climates, hot and dry climates and cold
climates.
Climate responsive design exercise for different contexts through sketches/ drawings/ analysis/
detailing/ calculation.

TOTAL: 60 PERIODS

OUTCOME
An understanding of heat balance in human beings.
An understanding of the effect of sun and wind on buildings.
An understanding of material effects in buildings.
Ability to design buildings with respect to climate.

TEXTBOOKS

1. O.H. Koenigsberger and Others, 'Manual of Tropical Housing and Building- Climatic Design',
Orient Longman, Madras, India, 2010.
2. Bureau of Indian Standards IS 3792, 'Hand book on Functional Requirements of Buildings
other than Industrial Buildings- Part I – IV', New Delhi,1987.

REFERENCES
1. Martin Evans, 'Housing Climate and Comfort', Architectural Press, London, 1980.
2. B. Givoni, Man, 'Climate and Architecture', Architectural Sciences Series, Applied Science
Publishers Ltd., London, 1981.
3. B. Givoni, 'Passive and Low Energy Cooling of building', Van Nostrand Reinhold, New
York,1994.
4. Galloe Salam and Sayigh A.M.M, 'Architecture, Comfort and Energy', Elsevier Science Ltd.,
Oxford,1998.
5. Arvind Krishnan, Szokolay et.al, 'Climate Responsive Architecture- A Design Handbook for
Energy Efficient Buildings', Tata McGraw Hill, 2010.