TROPICAL DESIGN

AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

TROPICAL INTRO

CLIMATE
Defined a region with certain temperature, dryness, wind, light,
etc. An integration in time of the atmospheric environment of a
certain geographical location.

 The air close to the surface is heated and rises, creating

low pressure.
 As the earth is not heated evenly, pockets of relatively
high and low pressures are formed over its surface and wind
is a direct consequence of this pressure differential, as
air is moved from areas of high pressure to areas of low
pressure.

Weather and climatic forces are products of solar radiation.

The atmosphere of the earth absorbs solar energy which in turn
warms the planet’s surface.

CLIMATIC FACTORS
1. Solar Radiation
a. UV Radiation
b. Visible Light
c. Short Infra-Red Radiation (Radiant Heat)
2. Tilt of the Earth’s Axis
3. Thermal Balance
4. Winds
5. Topography
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

CLIMATIC ELEMENTS
1. SOLAR RADIATION – absorbs direct scattered source of almost
all earth’s energy occurs in short wavelengths. Radiant Heat
Affects the Structures
a. Direct Short Wave Radiation
b. Diffused Short Wave Radiation
c. Reflected Short Wave Radiation
d. Long Wave Radiation (From heated ground and surrounding
structures)
2. AIR TEMPERATURE – annual, monthly and diurnal maximum and
minimum temperature. Dry Bulb Temperature (DBT) –This is the
measurement of the temperature of the air and as far using a
thermometer and can either be in units of Fahrenheit or Celsius.
3. ATMOSPHERIC HUMIDITY
a. Absolute Humidity – amount of moisture present in the air
(g/m3)
b. Specific Humidity – weight of unit vapor per unit weight
of air (g/kg)
c. Vapor Pressure – partial pressure of water vapor present
in the air d. Relative Humidity (RH) – refers to the amount of
water in the air. RH is measured using hygrometer and can be in
the form of Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT) in Fahrenheit or Celsius
or in Relative Humidity (RH) in percent (%). RH = abs. hum. X 100
saturation point RH = Act. Amt of moisture present Amt. of
moisture the air could hold
4. PRECIPITATION – data in the form of total monthly rainfall of
maximum rainfall during the 24hr. period. This is mainly rainfall
but can also be in the form of dew. Precipitation is measured
using rain gauge in units of inches or centimeters.
5. WIND –The direction, frequency and force of the wind
throughout the year.
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

MICROCLIMATIC CONDITIONS
1. Time of Day
2. Topography
3. Water
4. Ground Surfaces
5. Vegetation

GENERAL TYPES OF CLIMATES

1. Hot Humid (Tropical)
2. Hot Arid
3. Temperate
4. Cold

THERMAL COMFORT
 Human comfort as determined by the ability of the body to
dissipate the heat and moisture it produces by metabolic
action.
 Thermal Comfort is a condition of both physical and mental
well-being, and designers are responsible for providing an
internal climatic environment that can produce it.
 The ventilation of a building is directly related to thermal
comfort. By increasing the air velocity, the comfort zone
shifts to a higher temperature.
 This means that occupants of the building will feel more
comfortable, even though the building is not actual being
cooled.
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

MICROCLIMATE
 If a building is to relate to and gain from its environment,
it is important to understand regional weather patterns, but
the microclimate of the area must also be carefully
examined.

THE FOLLOWING FACTORS CAN ALTER THE MACROCLIMATE TO

PROCDUCE A QUITE DIFFERENT MICROCLIMATE:

TIME OF DAY
 Day and night will produce two quite different conditions
sometimes reversing the direction of the prevailing wind.
This is particularly the case in mountainous regions, where
air will rise up a mountain during the day and fall during
the night.
 Large bodies of water can also have the effect of reversing
the wind flow as day turns to night.

VEGETATION AND SOIL TYPE

 Vegetation can produce enclosed conditions, either altering
or reducing the wind speed or direction. The heat capacity,
color and water content soil will affect the amount of heat
absorption and therefore the ground temperature.
 This can have a significant effect on the microclimate
because the ground temperature influences pressure systems.

MAN-MADE STRUCTURES
 The built environment can significantly alter a
microclimate. Overall, wind speed will be 25% lower in
built-up areas, though very high local wind speeds can occur
due to urban canyons (buildings and streets that channel
wind flow).
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

TOPOGRAPHY
 Generally, wind speeds will increase with altitude. The
steeper the slope of land, the faster the temperature will
drop at night, and this will alter the wind direction.
 The topography of the earth’s surface has a major effect on
microclimate, diverting or blocking winds, are therefore
more desirable than north-facing slopes.

PROXIMITY TO BODIES OF WATER

 The proximity of land to a water mass will create air
currents. Water has a high heat capacity and therefore large
water mass will not absorb heat as quickly, but will retain
it longer than a similar area of land mass.
 Temperature changes over water therefore tend to be more
moderate and produce a different pressure system from that
over land. This pressure difference can generate daily
alternating land and sea breezes.
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

GLOBAL AIR MOVEMENTS

 Before one can understand the various wind patterns

affecting the Philippines, a broader knowledge of what
causes global air circulation is necessary. All these would
be vital in utilizing air-movement close to the ground and
in the passive cooling of architectural structures in the
hot humid tropics. 

WIND
 the perceptible natural movement of the air, especially in
the form of a current of air blowing from a particular
direction.

TYPES OF WIND
There are four types of winds.

1. Synoptic winds - Roughly horizontal movement of air

caused uneven heating of the earth's surface.

2. Gradient winds - winds for which coriolis acceleration

and the centripetal acceleration exactly balance the
horizontal pressure force.

3. Prevailing winds - are winds that below from a single

general direction over a particular point on the Earth's
surface.

4. Geostrophic wind - are horizontal winds in the upper

atmosphere that moves parallel to isobars. Results from a
balance between pressure gradient and coriolis force.
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

WHAT IS TROPICS?

 The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the

Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer
in the northern hemisphere at 23° 26′ 16″ (or 23.4378°) N
and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at
23° 26′ 16″ (or 23.4378°) S; these latitudes correspond to
the axial tilt of the Earth. The tropics are also referred
to as the tropical zone and the torrid zone (see
geographical zone). The tropics include all the areas on the
Earth where the Sun reaches a subsolar point, a point
directly overhead at least once during the solar year.

 The tropics are distinguished from the other climatic and

biomatic regions of Earth, the middle latitudes and the
polar regions on either side of the equatorial zone.
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

As the air of the sun hit the earth’s surface, the equator
receives more radiation than would the polar regions. This
necessitates the removal of the excess heat of the equatorial
region towards the cooler polar region.
Otherwise this imbalance can cause the further warming up of the
equatorial regions and the cooling of the latter. The phenomena
of wind system work to remove the heat by moving the equatorial
air upwards in its journey towards the poles. Thereafter the
cycle is completed when the cold air moves towards the equator
very close to the earth’s surface.
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

The rotation of the earth deflects the air from its direct paths.
This Phenomenon called the Coriolis Force.

With the north pole as point of reference it will be observed

that the rotation of the earth is counter clockwise. Thus the
motion of the wind is modified to the right of its intended path
if in the northern hemisphere, and to the left, if moving in the
southern hemisphere

GENERAL CIRCULATION OF WINDS

With the north pole as point of reference it will be observed
that the rotation of the earth is counter clockwise. Thus the
motion of the wind is modified to the right of its intended path
if in the northern hemisphere, and to the left, if moving in the
southern hemisphere.The continental land mass makes further
complicates the air movement as it gives frictional resistance to
the wind.
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

ITCZ
The Intertropical Convergence Zone or ITCZ Brings Convectional
Precipitation

CONVECTION
movement in a gas or liquid in which the warmer parts move up and
the colder parts move down; also: the transfer of heat by this
movement
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

WIND FLOWS DUE TO HEAT EXCHANGE

Air has the ability to transport temperature. One characteristic
of air is that its temperature changes faster than ground
temperature.
Two types of Breezes:

SEA BREEZE
In coastal Region changes in directions of breezes are very
descernable. As then daytime heating begins, The land warms more
rapidly than the water. Upward expansion of the air column over
land will cause a seaward movement of air loft, a wind from the
sea directed toward land develops. This land bound wind is called
the SEA BREEZE. It is strongest in the afternoon when
differentiated heating of the land and sea is greatest. It may
penetrate 80 kilometers inland

LAND BREEZE
At night the land cools faster than the water, the resulting
movement of air is from land to sea at the surface and from sea
to land aloft. This is known as the LAND BREEZE.
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

WIND FLOW OF BREEZES

WIND STRATEGIES OF CLIMATE CONTROL

 Ventilation
 Thermal Mass
 Evaporative space cooling
 Other Climatic elements
 TROPICAL DESIGN
AR. FRANCES JOY S. FRANCISCO

VENTILATION
Whole house (exhaust) fans provide up to 20 air changes per hour
and like continuous cross ventilation, maintain indoor
temperatures close to the outdoors. As long as outdoor conditions
are within the comfort zone, ”air-exchange ventilation” Maintain
indoor comfort. ”Body ventilation” is best provided by ceiling
(paddle) fans. They are effective up to 70% relative humidity and
85%F ET(Effective Temperature) with a maximum air speed of fps
(Foot, Pound, Sec).
(Effective Temperature) the temperature of an object calculated
from the radiation it emits, assuming black-body behaviour.

THERMAL MASS
A very massive building envelope can maintain indoor comfort if
outdoor air temperature does not exceed the thermal mass limit on
the chart (roughly equal to 890 F ET) This requires that (1)the
envelope is shaded or reflective enough that its average daily
outside surface temperature is no higher than the daily mena air
temperature(2)the envelope is massive enough to have average
daily temperature fluctuations and (3) there is no daytime
ventilation of the indoors. Nightime ventilation extends the
upper limit by cooling the envelope from both sides.

EVAPORATIVE SPACE COOLING

A Intake ventilation air is evaporatively cooled by drawing it
through wetted mats or filters. The technique I suited to arid
and semiarid regions and requires a fan powered ventilation
system. The limits are 71.50 F wet-bulb temperature and in
excess of 1050 F dry bulb which is a conservative upper bound

OTHER CLIMATIC ELEMENTS

Wind speed and direction are important for the site analysis and
for orienting the building for shelter from winter winds and to
capture cooling breezes. Solar radiation data(irradiation or
insolation)) is necessary for solar heating and daylighting
design .Insolation measured in BTU/sqft/day or per hour, is a
function of latitude, sky conditions, and angle of incidence to
the receiving surface. Ground temperature at various depth can be
estimated from well water temperature.