37 Tropical design Martin Evans Martin Evans is an architect and an author of a number of Books KEY POINT: © check al lacal conditions and methods Contents Introduction ‘Climate zones ‘Comfort and requirements for comfort ‘Thermal performance requirements Solar radiation Shading and glazing ‘Air movement and ventilation Mechanical aids to comfort 9 lumination from sun and sky in the topics 10 Public utilities in the wopies 1 Housing standards 12 Hazards 13 Bibliography ible Occurrence and characters man climatic zones cust: (141) une: (13), Unicode: U2L4 L INTRODUCTION ‘The purpose ofthis chapter isto collect data and assemble checklists to assist readers designing for tropical conditions. There is a shortage of textbooks on tropical design both for designers trained and living in temperate climates and for nationals of tropical tt 2s $e 43 6 rick a mgs as ms [> & fb Woot ms 04 13 390 me 03 173s = ite isang bow vey 727s] Cocree it fommed we a ‘he eae sone - = 55 90 ‘able 1 Time tg for compost rot contractions Comaraction “Time tag (ours) (deere fom the external surface inwards) opm —— Cover 3 ‘nm Mica woo (same a conse alone) 6mm Gener laser Somm Verma conte ‘nm Caner lar 8 Bem gmdate overs “fomm —_Lighwegh coat screed 100mm Conc ib ver 30mm Cone tes ian M ed war mente 240mm “otow pot stab For non-homogeneous construction, the order in which different layers are placed can change the time lag considerably. If insulation is placed on the external surface ofa dense material the time lag is considerably increased, Table IX gives the time lag of ‘Although the time lag indicates when the thermal impect of futside temperature swings will affect the interior, the actual intemal conditions can only be calculated when the heat flow into and through all room surfaces is considered. 5 SOLAR RADIATION 5.01 Criteria ‘The intensity of solar radiation on a surface depends om the altitude of the sun, the orientation ofthe surface in relation to the sun and. the absorption of solar radiation by the atmosphere, pollution, cloud, ete, 37.1, 900 ncsimen iain ‘ornate aast tin eo ovine ufoce (th) 500. 400. 300. ‘tensty of scar sdation (Win?) 210 (oson) 20 30 4 50 6 1 80.90 "2c solar altitude 311 Intensity of solar radiation 5.02 Calculation For vertical surfaces inclined at an angle @ to the azimuth (horizontal angle of sun on plan), the intensity of radiation on surface will be: ha where 1, is taken from 37.1. The altitude and azimuth of the sun can be found from sunpath diagrams. A list of sources of these appears below. The radiation from 37.1 should be multiplied by the values from Tables X and XI to give total radiation at the 1X 008 0 appropriate allude and/or for appropriate atmospheric conditions. ‘Ate os | =e we m0 uso 1500 oe tev eae veges ee) 30 a a )Table XI Efe coud and atmosphere pluton on raiation® ‘ey low mien an leashes | 11 fines) ‘igh bani nd pone sy" 03 (secre) Overcast sk 1105 (ree) "Nari rey oa ad sob ae 6 SHADING AND GLAZING 6.01 Solar control glass ‘Special glasses for solar control absorb a considerable proportion of solar radiation. This heats the glass and special precautions must be taken to avoid problems resulting from thermal movement. ‘About a third of the absorbed heat is transmitted indirectly tothe Inerior and two-thirds to the exterior, so the total proportion of | transmitted solar radiation may be considerably greater than the directly transmitted solar radiation. The high temperature of the Blass may also cause discomfort. For comparison, a sheet of ‘aluminium or an uninsulated concrete slab has been shown in ‘Table Xl. Almost all special glasses will get as hot as these ‘materials. 6.02 Reducing solar gain ‘The best way to reduce solar radiation heat gain is to reduce window size (or provide extemal shading) for windows receiving direct solar radiation, though precautions may be required against slare from bright cloudy sky or the ground. 6.03 External shading Ifa View is not required, a coat of white paint on glass will give reduced light and solar radiation transmission at considerably less cost than special glasses. The best way 10 control solar radiation, isto use external shading design with the aid ofa sunpath diagram, When the sunpath diagrams for the northern hemisphere are used forthe southern hemisphere, changes should be made 10 the time, month, szimuth, direction as shown in Table XIV. Shading coefficients are given in Table XI Internal shades are comparable with special glasses. Most formas of external shading are beter than special glasses or internal shades. Sources for sunpath diagrams 1. Manual of tropical housing and building Part 1. Climate design, Koenipsberger. Ingersol, Mayhew, Szokolay. Longmans, 1974, “Table XI Sota eat ein through last " 2 pperon of ta rasaed oop dar ase Foontration ‘Shading cooicent ‘Gear iam has 100 ‘tse ith tera rk ter ind 070-080 Sloe wa tera rk venetan id ors ‘ls wh intra atin ent lind 35-065 {ls wih mera white rene Hd bas-0ss Clas wh eer ministre ues, (030-0 10 (eyes on angle othe) Clas wih dark canvas exe aves 020-028 {las wih dese es posing nae 020-030 (tas with ovate uve ‘10-020, Test snorting ses fus-na0 Arima dprees Dien “ce North-South Nevthesouth North-South 2h an ar) ab » oho 21 Me @ HO Noah Sout TS Apt wm 1S My 20-3 2 hse is 38) Eat_—Wet sony mo kw wae 20 2 2S 20 Sout Not ison i x Sx “om nde O15) Went Pn} 2 Sharma, M. R. and Rao, K. R. Solar radiation protractors, ‘Ceniral Building Research Institute. Roskee, India, Equidisant projection IS°N-IS°S; 1S°N-35°N. at Sedegree intervals (reproduced in Givoni, Man, climate and architecture, Elsevier. 1969), 3 Solar charts and shadow angle protractor for daylight planning, Catalogue no. 374, Henry Hope & Sons, London, 1969. ‘Stereographic projection 32°N-28°S at 4-depree intervals. 4 Richards, S.J. South African architectural record, Vol. 36, No 11, Stercographic projection 20°S-34°S at 2-depree intervals {reprinted by South African Council for Scientific and Industral Research, Pretoria 1952). Fesetration Vibe Dire solar “Tal sole ada trameited radiation traromited radiation ranted ° = ° ‘Che Dat ase 0 & ‘hs wh esse pole i. ® ey 2 ra » Solar energy ttn ae 2 a 2 s % a Sere maid het bse ass ” Se a 0 & a “Tit slr cno sa ey 2 S a 2 o ss u 2 " 8 6 “ sen * 2 6 a re cf @ » st Clr ls with pen wane cats tery o » 2 onmpedshumintam ew) ° ° > Sadr cone ° ° 8 Scs: Monaco ai roghfnerton FJ Lot DE. van Ste, CSIR: RB 23. Ranges of poate piven, Cones manta fr specie dat3746 Trop design 5 AI Handbook of Building Environment. Information Sheet — Sunlight 5, 0.10.68 pp 10241038. Gnomic projection 040° (N for S) at 2degree intervals. Al sunpath diagrams forthe northern hemisphere can be used for the southem hemisphere by reversing the hours and months and rotating the azimuth scale by 180" 7 AIR MOVEMENT AND VENTILATION 7.01 Wind velocities ‘The conversion of wind velocities from imperial to metric with the Beaufort scale andthe corresponding wind pressures on a flat plate ‘normal to the wind are given in 37.2. 7.02 Urban areas Wind velocities in urban or suburban areas may be estimated in relation to wind velocities in open country, 37.3. 7.03 Effect of wind speed Table XV shows the effet of different wind speeds in warm humid climates wed Praswe cain 1 Ligh air 2 Ligh brece 3 Gene rece 4 Moderate Breese SPreh rece 6 Song breze 7 Moderae gale Fresh gle 9 Srone gale Whole gale 11 Storm 1 flericane 37.2 Conversion chart for wind velocities and the corresponding wind pressures. Reference: BRS Digest No 101, Jan 1969, fig 13; HMSO. Key 0 Calm: smoke rises vertically: 1 Light air: direction shown by smoke but not wind vanes; 2 Light breeze: wind felt on face, leaves rustle; 3 Gentle breeze: wind extends light flags, leaves in constant motion; 4 Moderate breeze: raises dust and loose paper, small brances are moved, onset of ‘mechanical discomfort; § Fresh breeze: small trees in leaf begin 10 sway, uncomfortable in urban areas: 6 Strong breeze: large branches in motion, telegraph wires whistle, umbrellas dificult 10 use; 7 Moderate gale: whole trees in motion, difficult to walk ‘against wind: 8 Fresh gale: breaks owigs off tees, generally slows down walking; 9 Sorong gale: slight structural damage ‘occurs, tiles and slates dislodged; 10 Whole gale seldom experienced inland; II Storm: trees uprooted; 12 Hurricane: rarely experienced, accompanied by widespread damage Height obove ound (mere) 152030 30) 163 To 37.3 Wind speed at different elevations and environments ‘expressed as percentages of the wind speed at 10m in flat open ‘country i.e. at an airport wind recording tower. For example, if ‘the wind speed atthe airport is 3 mis, at the top of a building 350m high in an urban centre the wind speed will be SO% of this: 1S mis, Reference: Paper 2 ‘Wind effects on building and structure’, HMSO 1965, fig S “Table XV Efe of aterm wind sped fn warm bid cimaes Range of speeds et vn Not niesal, ess han °C of apparent coaling a psn 15-0 iat tebe ating effet egualet 1 1-2°C wo-80 Enesve std pant sling fle eo-ito ‘Masimsm winter forcing tou nds side 10-290 “Too ft for desk wor paper sat Bow acon over 200 ‘oof and ancora fr ial condos. 7.04 Wind shadow The length of the wind shadow for various shapes of building is given in 37.4, Example: a two-storey building 6m high, 3m wide and 24m long (A = 3m). The wind shadow will be 11% A, that is, 35m long The variations in wind direction will alter the direction of the ‘wind shadow, and allowance must be made for these variations. As rough guide the wind shadow will be SX height of building (including te pitched roof). 8 MECHANICAL AIDS TO COMFORT 8.01 Ceiling fans Ceiling fans give a wide distribution of blown ai, 375. Since the ei zB : Pani tags ‘ee uty ume wae sana es ec? os » 9 ie eee ims g & & Devan ee oases ¢ sf temporary allowance {6 room units - 140, er % © © pheromone GP eer ot se ee ae iat cian 8 8 8 Ma Se ace oe Soe mm ‘Some WHO, Word Bank “Tle XX Water supply for erigation in at dry linates {ype of vegetation ter appl requirement Private pans ‘maximum 50 00 resecciay ene 2500040, vate ade tou gras 1000 ge gu veges weage — w0 O00 do fone pete 20-140 60060 ‘re pratons 27000 do “Tle XX Floor cing beet 2.300180 recommendation “To low for Noor cling a moll of 200 {Gomerte lk) or 300 (hss weal verti! mote). 21400 1S0 recammmendation) oso fr eoling mounted fan (2400 + fan) 3.000 (cv mounting et Hh oa lke) Common requirement in topical rexions 3.000 “High cling Weis Fave le is on mal cone Se Go Mon, mete and archer evi 109; Untied Nao Nada co-ordination of cut hun, New ks 1 a BRE Ovenes Basing note 857.10 Tropial design 12 HAZARDS 1201 Earthquakes Data on the location and severity of significant earthquakes between 1900 and the present day for all wopical regions can be obtained from the Institute of Geological Sciences, Edinburgh and ‘other centres. The maps give data on date, magnitude (on the Richter scale) and depth of epicentre Structures must be designed to resist seismic forces. The severity ofthese forces will depend on the type of structure. the dead and live Toa, the location (seismic zone) and soil conditions, In general, building plans and massing should be simple, avoiding ‘T,X, or similar forms. Expansion joints and adjoining structures, should be avoided as buildings may knock one another during ‘minor tremors. Fr all but the simplest structures in minor seismic areas, a structural engineer's advice should be sought 12.02 Hurricanes In addition to the abnormally high wind loads, precautions are required 10 resist or reduce loads resulting from dilferences between internal and external pressures, Countries experiencing hurricanes and typhoons have appropriate building regulations cconceming fixing for roofs, windows and structural design loadings. 1203 Sandstorms Table XXIV shows the effect of wind on sand movements. Tight, closing of all openings is required to reduce nuisance from blown sand. Complete protection is not usually practical 12.04 Termites ‘There are two main types of termites: © Drywood termites are similar to wood:-boring beetles found in {temperate climates. They can fly into buildings or be introduced in previously infested timber. Prevention by use of (expensive) ‘naturally resistant timbers or by pre-treatment of timber with a wood preservative and by screening of openings and roof (© Subterranean termites need to maintain contact with the ground fand can survive in drier conditions than the drywood termites ‘Tle XXIV fect of wind om sand Windepecdminin Ef 20 Swecping sad. Vsti not impaie,San own long theses or upto tm hom he pod x0 Driving sod: Vs imped. Sa es ep 0 2m ek «o ‘Storm, Pareles of sad emai upended in he is ‘Depo ze of snd ring, buy of ground 2000 — lower ck counts ‘ae ped seid wih pono sro oc fr 8 aa * ii rl $79 Porton ass ems we wg conte oor poltoned i rote poicred lone counes a | whtench| 39° / exceschlé cow ere bit Space me Oar onpesspie mm 4 sl Lbocfl pores en mn 37.10 Metal termite shields protecting a suspended timber floor ‘over a crawl space Prevention by a general soil poison over the entire ground slab ‘combined with poisoning of soil around the building perimeter and the poisoning of materials used in ground-floor slab and lower courses of walls, including hardcore, building sand, mortar and render and effective sealing of cracks, joints and holes with piteh- based sealing compound, or the use of termite shields where ‘suspended timber floors are used, In addition, regular inspection is required, 37.9 and 37.10. 12.05 Mosquitoes Nuisance can be reduced by: 1 Cuting back undergrow:h near buildings 2 Avoiding standing water on of near buildings, i. guters 3 Screening ofall openings with 16 mesh, 30 gauge wire sereen or Plastics mesh where windows open. Sereening of bedrooms should have priority. 4 Avoid lighting whieh attracts mosquitoes (and other flying insects indoors, especially over dining tables, beds, ete, 5 Use extemal lighting to diver mosquitoes and other insects way from openings. 12.06 Diseases ‘Bad housing conditions contribute to many diseases common in the topics. The main factors required to avoid conditions which encourage the spread of disease are © Safe water supply © Safe sewage treatment and disposal ‘© Easily cleaned WC and bathroom, 37.11 © Sound construction without cracks or crevices igh iter 2250 floor ss areca deicole {er Beek et drmoge glee shown STAL Easily cleaned squatting WC, preferable in hot climates‘© Fly screening of kitchen and food storage areas (© Adequate natural light ‘© Adequate space standards © Clearing of vegetation around the dwelling and © Avoiding standing water on badly drained surfaces, gutters and vegetation, 13 BIBLIOGRAPHY 13.01 Comfort and requirements for comfort Design of low cost housing and community facilites, vol 1 Climate and house design, New York, United Nations, 1971 13,02. ‘Thermal performance requirements won, (ed,) Man, climate and architecture. Elsevier, 1969 Institute of Heating and Ventilating Engineers, Guide 1970, Book |, London, 1970 H. Koenigsberger, TG. Ingersol, A. Mayhew and S. V. Szokolay, Manual of tropical housing and design, Part 1 Climate design. Longmans, Harlow. Essex, 1973 A.G. Loudon, Summertime temperatures in buildings without air- conditioning. BRS CP 47/68 13.03 Solar radiation ,Petherbridge, Sunpath diagrams and overlays, HMSO, London, 1969 H. Ransom, Tropical Building Studies 3, Solar radiation thermal effects on building materials, HMSO, London, 1962 Tropical design 7 13,04 IMumination from sun and sky © GH. Plant, Windows: design and function under tropical conditions, Overseas Building Note 142, BRE, 1972 ©.G. H, Plant, J. Longmore and R. G. Hopkinson, A study of interior illumination due to skylight and reflected sunlight under tropical condition, Proceedings of the CIE conference Sunlight i buildings (1965). Bouweentrum, Rotterdam, 1967 13.05 Public utilities B. H, Dietich and J. M. Henderson, Urban water conditions in 75 developing countries, WHO, 1963 E.G. Wagner and J, Lanoix, Water supply for rural areas and small communities, WHO E.G, Wagner and F. Lanois, Excreta disposal for rural areas and small communities, WHO, 1958 supply 13.06 Hazards Building Research Station, Tropical building legistaion> model building regulations for small buildings in earthquake and hurricane areas, 1966 W. Vietor Harris, Termites: their recognition and control, Long- ‘mans, Harlow, 1971 Preservation of personal health in warm climates, Ross Insitute of Tropical Hygiene, London, 1970 Termites and tropical building, Overseas Building Note 170, BRE, 1976