TOA MODULE 4

Tropical Architecture
Authorship + Disclaimer
This work is the property of
Pedro Santos Jr. and Dianne Ancheta.
For questions, contact the authors at
arch.pedrosantosjr@gmail.com and
arch.dianneancheta@gmail.com.
Creative Commons
This presentation is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
PART 4.1
Elements, factors, and concepts of climatic
design
Climate basics
“Climate”
A measure of the average pattern of variation in
temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind,
precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other
meteorological variables in a given region over long
periods of time.
CLIMATE VERSUS WEATHER
▪ Climate is different from weather, in that weather
only describes the short-term conditions of
these variables in a given region.
CLIMATIC ELEMENTS
▪ Solar radiation or sunlight
▪ Air temperature
▪ Atmospheric humidity
▪ Precipitation
▪ Wind
THE KÖPPEN SYSTEM
▪ One of the most widely-used climate
classification systems.
▪ It was first published by Russian German
climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with
several later modifications by Köppen himself,
notably in 1918 and 1936.
THE KÖPPEN SYSTEM
▪ The system is based on the concept that native
vegetation is the best expression of climate.
▪ Thus, climate zone boundaries have been
selected with vegetation distribution in mind.
THE KÖPPEN SYSTEM
▪ The Köppen climate classification scheme
divides climates into five main groups, each
having several types and subtypes:
▪ Type A: Tropical climates
▪ Type B: Dry (arid and semiarid) climates
▪ Type C: Temperate climates
▪ Type D: Continental climates
▪ Type E: Polar and alpine climates
TROPICAL CLIMATE (A)
▪ Found in a nearly unbroken belt around the Earth
at low latitudes, mostly within 15° N and S.
TROPICAL CLIMATE (A)
▪ Their location within a region in which available
solar radiation is large and relatively constant
from month to month ensures both high
temperatures (generally in excess of 18 °C) and a
virtual absence of thermal seasons.
TROPICAL CLIMATE (A)
▪ In A climates, the terms “winter” and “summer”
have little meaning, but in many locations, annual
rhythm is provided by the occurrence of wet and
dry seasons.
TROPICAL CLIMATE (A)
▪ Type A climates are controlled mainly by the
seasonal fluctuations of the trade winds and
monsoons.
▪ Köppen specifies three A climates:
▪ Tropical rainforest climate (Af)
▪ Tropical monsoon climate (Am)
▪ Tropical wet-dry climate (Aw)
Recommended forms and orientations for isolated buildings in different climatic regions.
TROPICAL
Cebu, Philippines
DRY CLIMATES (B)
▪ Arid and semiarid climates cover about a quarter
of Earth’s land surface, mostly between 50° N
and 50° S, but they are mainly found in the 15–
30° latitude belt in both hemispheres.
“Arid”
A land or a climate having little or no rain and is
typically too dry or barren to support lush
vegetation.
DRY CLIMATES (B)
▪ They exhibit low precipitation, great variability in
precipitation from year to year, low relative
humidity, high evaporation rates (when water is
available), clear skies, and intense solar radiation.
DRY CLIMATES (B)
▪ Köppen’s classification recognizes three B
climates:
▪ Tropical and subtropical desert (BWh)
▪ Mid-latitude steppe and desert climate (BSh)
▪ Tropical and subtropical steppe climate (BSk)
Recommended forms and orientations for isolated buildings in different climatic regions.
DRY
Phoenix, Arizona
TEMPERATE CLIMATES (C)
▪ These climates have an average monthly
temperature above 10 °C (50 °F) in their warmest
months, and an average monthly temperature
above −3 ° C (27 F) in their coldest months.
TEMPERATE CLIMATES (C)
▪ In Europe this includes areas from coastal
Norway south to southern France.
▪ In Asia, this includes areas from South Korea, to
east- China from Beijing southward, to northern
Japan.
Recommended forms and orientations for isolated buildings in different climatic regions.
TEMPERATE
Haus, Norway
CONTINENTAL CLIMATES (D)
▪ These climates have an average temperature
above 10 °C (50 °F) in their warmest months, and
a coldest month average below −3 °C
▪ These usually occur in the interiors of continents
and on their upper east coasts, normally north of
40°N.
Recommended forms and orientations for isolated buildings in different climatic regions.
CONTINENTAL
Alberta, Canada
POLAR CLIMATES (E)
▪ These climates are characterized by average
temperatures below 10 °C in all 12 months of the
year.
▪ This includes the following subtypes:
▪ Tundra climate (ET)
▪ Snow and ice climate (EF)
▪ Highland climate (H)
POLAR
Northern parts of Alaska
Climate of the
Philippines
CLIMATE OF THE PHILIPPINES
▪ The climate of the Philippines is tropical and
maritime.
▪ It is characterized by relatively high temperature,
high humidity and abundant rainfall.
▪ It is similar in many respects to the climate of the
countries of Central America.
EL NIDO
Palawan, Philippines
SAMAL ISLAND
Davao, Philippines
SIARGAO ISLAND
Surigao Del Norte, Philippines
PANGLAO
Bohol, Philippines
CARAMOAN
Camarines Sur, Philippines
BANTAYAN ISLAND
Cebu, Philippines
BORACAY ISLAND
Aklan, Philippines
PALAUI ISLAND
Cagayan Valley, Philippines
PAGUDPUD
Ilocos Norte, Philippines
GREAT STA. CRUZ
ISLAND
Zamboanga City, Philippines

"Isla Great Santa Cruz53" by Wowzamboangacity - MGM.

The most important elements of the country's
weather and climate are the following:
▪ Temperature
▪ Humidity
▪ Rainfall
TEMPERATURE
▪ Excluding Baguio, the mean annual temperature
in the Philippines is 26.6 °C.
▪ The coolest months fall in January with a mean
temperature of 25.5 °C while the warmest month
occurs in May with a mean temperature of 28.3
°C.
TEMPERATURE
▪ Latitude is an insignificant factor in the variation
of temperature while altitude shows greater
contrast in temperature.
▪ Thus, the mean annual temperature of Baguio
with an elevation of 1,500 meters is 18.3°C. This
makes the temperature of Baguio comparable
with those in the temperate climate.
BAGUIO CITY
The temperature of Baguio is
comparable with those in the temperate
climate and because of this, it is known
as the summer capital of the Philippines.
TEMPERATURE
▪ The difference between the mean annual
temperature of the southernmost station in
Zamboanga and that of the northernmost station
in Laoag is insignificant.
▪ In other words, there is essentially no difference
in the mean annual temperature of places in
Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao measured at or near
sea level.
HUMIDITY
▪ Humidity refers to the moisture content of the
atmosphere.
▪ Due to high temperature and the surrounding
bodies of water, the Philippines has a high
relative humidity.
▪ The average monthly relative humidity varies
between 71% in March and 85% in September.
HUMIDITY
▪ The combination of warm temperature and high
relative humidity gives rise to high perceived
temperature throughout the archipelago.
▪ It is especially uncomfortable during March to
May, when temperature and humidity attain their
maximum levels.
RAINFALL
▪ Rainfall is the most important climatic element
in the Philippines.
▪ Rainfall distribution throughout the country
varies from one region to another, depending
upon the direction of the moisture-bearing winds
and the location of the mountain systems.
RAINFALL
▪ The mean annual rainfall of the Philippines varies
from 965 to 4,064 millimeters annually.
▪ Baguio City, eastern Samar, and eastern Surigao
receive the greatest amount of rainfall while the
southern portion of Cotabato receives the least
amount of rain. At General Santos City in
Cotabato, the average annual rainfall is only 978
millimeters.
SEASONS
Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the
climate of the country can be divided into two
major seasons: rainy and dry.
SEASONS
▪ The rainy season, from June to November
▪ The dry season, from December to May, which
may be subdivided further into:
▪ The cool dry season, from December to February
▪ The hot dry season, from March to May
CLIMATE TYPES
There are four recognized climate types in the
Philippines, and they are based on the
distribution of rainfall.
CLIMATE TYPES
▪ Type I. Two pronounced seasons: dry from November to
April and wet during the rest of the year.
▪ Type II. No dry season with a pronounced rainfall from
November to January.
▪ Type III. Seasons are not very pronounced, relatively dry
from November to April, and wet during the rest of the year.
▪ Type IV. Rainfall is more or less evenly distributed
throughout the year.
CLIMATE TYPES
Four recognized climate types in
the Philippines, based on the
distribution of rainfall.

Source: PAGASA
PREVAILING
WINDS
▪ Hanging amihan (northeast),
November-April
▪ Hanging habagat (southwest), May-
October
Monsoon
A monsoon is a seasonal shift in the prevailing wind
direction, that usually brings with it a different kind
of weather.
TYPHOONS
▪ Typhoons have a great influence on the climate
and weather conditions of the Philippines.
▪ A great portion of the rainfall, humidity and
cloudiness are due to the influence of typhoons.
▪ They generally originate in the region of the
Marianas and Caroline Islands of the Pacific
Ocean which have the same latitudinal location
as Mindanao.
TYPHOONS
▪ Their movements follow a northwesterly
direction, sparing Mindanao from being directly
hit by majority of the typhoons that cross the
country.
▪ This makes the southern Philippines very
desirable for agriculture and industrial
development.