ECO-RRESORTS IN TROPICAL COASTS:

Design and Comfort

Zbigniew Bromberek
Abstract
The argument presented in this paper is based on distinctive and exploitable differences which merit putting eco-
tourists, eco-resorts and the coastal tropics into categories of their own. Such differences should inform planning and
design process when working in this environment, which is both very sensitive and valuable. The paper aims to describe
the main characteristics of the coastal tropics as a climate targeted by eco-tourism. Differences between eco-tourists
and residents are presented through definition of comfort. Climatic and other factors influencing comfort limits are at
the core of discussion, in which passive design is seen as the most appropriate response to challenges of the tropical
coast setting. The design opportunities for the desirable climate modifications in eco-friendly resorts together with some
passive design features are briefly presented. These architectural design solutions are set against theoretical principles
specific to tropical coastal regions. The focus is on human responses to environmental factors, and on their implica-
tions. The paper concludes with a few recommendations aimed to deliver indoor conditions consistent with climatic pref-

open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
erences of itinerant environmentally conscious users of buildings in the coastal tropics. Such an approach is expected
to minimize impacts the facility will make on the environment.

K e y w o r d s : Eco-resort; Coastal Tropics; Comfort; Design.

INTRODUCTION

In search of variety and new sensations, tourists

have started exploring even the most remote and
inaccessible corners of the Earth. Increasing num-
bers of travellers seek natural and cultural loca-
tions, which remain pristine. Numbers of visitors to
national parks and protected areas and to remote
rural communities continue to rise. Some of these
regions are extremely important habitats as they
constitute the last refuges for endangered species.
The importance of yet other locations is derived
from their place in regional and/or global ecosys-
tems. In the case of coastal tropics, the problem of
protecting these habitats is exacerbated by their
natural vulnerability. Any uncontrolled disturbance
in such an environment has potentially disastrous
consequences. Sports and leisure activities by their
nature depend heavily on a healthy environment
with clean air and water as a minimum prerequisite.
While nature based eco-tourism is generally con-
sidered to have a lower impact than typical (mass)
tourism, requiring less infrastructure and develop-
ment, even small-scale use can damage the natur-
al resources which attract tourists in the first place,
if we are not to mention other effects-extending
tourism's influence beyond its ecological impacts.
Fig 1. Locations of eco-tourist resorts around the
world
There are numerous reasons for the relatively lit-
tle interest in the knowledge of comfort, and com-
fort of tourists in particular, in the tropics, as well as
in the practical application of this knowledge. One
of them is that design guidelines and available
information on performance of applicable mea-
sures are inadequate and insufficient. Hence the
demand for the systematic knowledge is substituted
by beliefs and opinions based on misconceptions,
prejudice and a lack of true understanding of the
tropical environment. There is a mistaken belief that
a building, unsupported by heating, ventilation and
air-conditioning or HVAC systems, is unable to
cope with 'unbearable' heat and humidity, which
23
Zbigniew Bromberek
Fig 2. The world distribution of tropical climates
supposedly are the permanent and unsurmount-
able biometeorological problems of low latitudes.
Moreover, it is believed that bioclimatic design
involves unconventional, and in consequence-
unusual, expensive and unreliable devices.
Because of these 'non-standard' solutions, the
design process is assumed to take longer and
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
require more effort, which is to be manifested
through slow and costly construction. Developers
also fear that lack of standard air-conditioning
could be reflected in lower marketability.
Most of the above opinions are baseless. While
the coastal tropics pose a considerable challenge,
passive design can effectively deal with the climate,
being less invasive and cheaper, too. As it became
nearly synonymous with the environmentally-friend-
ly attitude, passive design in eco-resorts can find an
understanding and receptive clientele willing to try
and, in the process, disprove many 'urban myths'
about the tropics.
THE COASTAL TROPICS AND THEIR
CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS
Definition of what constitutes the tropics can pose a
considerable problem. It starts with the term, being
often applied to only a part of the tropics, namely
the 'wet tropics'. For instance, according to a broad
classification of climates given by Szokolay and
Sale (1979) for building purposes, which is a vari-
ation of many similar proposals, the tropics are a
zone within a group of hot humid climates.
Geographical system-based classifications (e.g.
Köppen-Geiger-Pohl scheme), on the other hand,
are also widely used and include both humid and
arid tropics in the group of tropical climates (Fig 2,
2a).
24
Fig 2a. The world distribution of tropical climates
It is rather obvious that a definition of the trop-
ics based on broad 'geographical' terms of refer-
ence is unsatisfactory for building purposes. We
build to filter and modify various geographical
impacts, and the climatic ones in particular. Thus,
the definition should refer to the required response
by the building to achieve comfort of its occupants.
Following a similar suggestion by Koenigsberger et
al. (1973), the definition of the tropics, adopted for
this publication, is:
Tropical climates are those where heat is the
dominant problem, where for the greater part of the
year buildings are to keep the occupants cool,
rather than warm, and where the annual mean
temperature is not less than 20°C (Fig 3). The sea
influenced 'coastal' tropics are representative of
regions and areas most popular among 'inter-cli-
matic' travellers. These areas are also primary tar-
gets for tourist developments.
Annual average of mean daily maximum tem-
peratures in tropical locations typically ranges from
around 24°C in several island locations (Honolulu,
Noumea, Fitzroy Island, Tamatave and Port Louis)
Fig 3. The tropical climates and tropical coastal
meso-climates

Fig 4. Range of climatic conditions found in macro-,
meso- and micro-climates
to 35°C in Bangkok, annual average daily mini-
mum from around 14°C in Broome to nearly 27°C
at Minnicoy and in Bombay. Annual rainfall totals
display much a larger variety ranging from
71.3mm in the arid climate of Sao Tomé to
4172mm in monsoonal Padang.
However contained, tropical coastal regions are
not ideally uniform in terms of their climatic char-
acteristics. The general characteristics of the climate
can be largely modified by a distinctive addition of
localized influence of topography and/or a large
body of water. Although the influence of the sea can
be felt even several kilometres inland, in many
places its impact is limited to only 1-2 kilometres
from the shore because of hills or mountain ranges
running along the coast. The coastal zones demon-
strate otherwise relatively few and quite small
macro-scale climatic differences.
The two most important localized climatic fac-
tors at any point on a tropical coast are the wind
and the sea, which works as a heat sink. The
coastal zone, as defined in this text, distinctively dif-
fers from the rest of the tropics. Its temperature
ranges, both diurnal and seasonal, are smaller,
winds and breezes more frequent and more consis-
tent, and humidity higher than inland. Relevant
microclimatic data, most useful in design, are usu-
ally not available at microscale. This means the
zone's description covers too large a range of con-
ditions and turns the whole idea of climatic zoning,
as far as building is concerned, into a rather futile
exercise in guiding our environmental responses. At
ground level a multitude of minute climates may
exist side by side, varying sharply with elevation dif-
ference of only a few meters and within very small
Zbigniew Bromberek
horizontal distances (Fig 4). For example, the wind
speed, cloudiness, precipitation and humidity con-
ditions are often very different on the windward and
on the leeward slopes. These deviations should be
analyzed and utilized for making the correct siting
decisions and microclimate improvements.
One must be aware that a regional climate's
profile only indirectly relates to comfort in buildings.
As discussed earlier, the climate of a particular site
(microclimate), and even area (mesoclimate), can
differ considerably from the regional climate
(macroclimate) due to site topography, continent-
sea interface influences and vegetation characteris-
tics, for example the forestation ratio.
It has to be stressed that, although climatic data
have (or should have) tremendous importance for
the tropical resort design, there are many reasons
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
to approach the issue of climate with extreme cau-
tion. Completeness and reliability of the available
data defining the climate in the tropics is nearly
always a serious problem. Furthermore, despite
seemingly similar climatic characteristics shared by
many locations, they differ significantly 'at the
ground level'. Differences can be caused by prox-
imity to water, proximity and height of nearby hills
and mountain ranges, aspect and slope angle of
the land, vegetation type, soils or other local fac-
tors. For the climatic data to be of any relevance
and practical value, they need to be adjusted, mod-
ified and enriched with local observations and
experiences. Drawing on the local building tradition
also might be helpful.
The principal ecological quality of most tropical
environments is their fragility. This is caused by a
number of reasons. First of all, the remnant pristine
environments targeted by eco-tourism are nowa-
days disjointed and physically isolated. This situa-
tion is further compounded when they lack 'eco-
corridors' between them, allowing movement of
species from one liveable pocket to another. This is
required to expand the habitat for availability of
food, to avoid inbreeding or to escape when threat-
ened. The need for such connections should be
taken into account when planning any green-field
development. Native vegetation should be allowed
to weave through the resort site, grouped and
enlarged whenever possible. The tropics also have
weak soil composition, prone to quick degradation
25
 and erosion once the original ground cover has
Zbigniew Bromberek
been removed. Research has shown that once
weathering and leaching processes then started,
there is no practicable means of halting rapid soil
erosion or replacing lost organic matter. A design
implication is that any required circulation on the
site should be planned with extreme caution and
care.
ECO-TOURISM, ECO-TOURISTS
AND COMFORT IN THE COASTAL
TROPICS
There is no commonly agreed definition of sustain-
ability and there is none of eco-tourism either. It is
because the general concept of eco-tourism (such
as nature-based tourism or 'sustainable' tourism)
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
itself is still a much disputed topic. Eco-tourism can
be defined as visiting relatively undisturbed places
for enjoying biotic (fauna and flora) and abiotic
components of the local environment. Eco-tourism
is supposed to have at least three main compo-
nents: it is to be nature-based, sustainable (which
also includes consideration of economic and socio-
cultural impacts) and have educational/interpreta-
tive qualities.
'Eco-tourism' seems to be nowadays more of a
very fashionable trend, which emphasizes direct
contact with nature and protection and conserva-
tion of the natural environment. The National
Ecotourism Strategy, tabled by the Australian
Commonwealth Department of Tourism (Allcock et
al., 1994) defines eco-tourism as nature-based
tourism that involves education and interpretation
of the natural environment and is managed to be
ecologically sustainable.
This 'nature-based' virtue seems to be a power-
ful keyword when it comes to developing a resort in
a tropical location. To be sustainable, tourism
needs to meet economic expectations and environ-
mental requirements, and respect not only the
social and physical structure of destinations, but
also the local population. In particular, the use of
energy, tourism-related transport, the 'Triple R'
(Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) and impact minimization
strategies in resorts should receive a great deal of
attention.
The problem seems to be that we do not know
26
what are the visitor's expectations. 'Comfort' is diffi-
cult to define. Hence it is normally given a negative
description as 'a lack of discomfort' or 'a state at
which any change would cause discomfort'.
However, there is growing evidence that strict con-
trol of comfort parameters does not necessarily
contribute to our well-being. Thermal comfort,
believed to be a dominant problem in tropical cli-
mates, represents acceptable conditions of heat
exchange between a human body and its sur-
roundings. However, we feel warm or cool at the
same time as we hear background noise, see the
colour of surfaces, appreciate scents as well as the
quality and the quantity of light entering through
building apertures, and are aware of subtle
changes in these and other factors while progress-
ing through the day. The need for more inclusive
definition is further emphasized once we focus on
the environment for leisure. Many environmental
conditions that can feel like tolerable at work,
domestic chores and other everyday activities, can
cause a serious discomfort during holidays.
The variables, having some impact on comfort,
appear in two groups. In the first group, variables
are related to the physical environment itself. These
are: air temperature, mean radiant temperature,
atmospheric humidity, relative air velocity, light and
sound. There are other contributing climatic factors
(precipitation, cloud cover and air purity/turbidity)
but they can be merely effects of the other variables
working in combination with each other. When
these climatic factors are translated into indices
describing indoor conditions, they all appear well
within building designer's domain. And then there
are variables in a group that represents human fac-
tors, which relate to behavioural adjustments and
differences between individuals.
Humphreys (1978) found a statistically mean-
ingful relationship between the thermal neutrality
Tn, a temperature at which the majority of subjects
do not feel either cool or warm, and mean month-
ly temperature of the ambient air To. Data, on
which his linear regression was based, were later
revised and supplemented, which led to a subse-
quent revision the equation. A similar result was
obtained in Pakistan by Nicol (1995):
Tn = 17.0 + 0.38 To
The range of application is from 10° to 30°C.
 Even the Nicol's equation, which was based on
data from predominantly hot climates (the
Humphreys' equation was based on data from most
climatic zones around the world, including the sub-
polar), does not seem appropriate for use in pre-
dictions of comfort among tropical tourists. The
reason is that their results are based on research
done on residents. The equations do not take many
visitor (and eco-tourist in particular) -specific factors
into account and assumptions concerning behav-
ioural adjustments are just inadequate. An impor-
tant role played by psychological factors, such as
climatic adaptation based on one's expectations,
has not been accounted for, either. Most important-
ly, the equations require monthly mean temperature
as input while the average length of tourist visits to
the tropics is no more than a few days. Rapidity of
climatic change is compounded for them by chang-
ing holiday behaviour patterns, putting them in two
different environments: one for the day and one for
the night. Day-time is spent mostly outdoors and
resort buildings are occupied practically only during
the night. Thus, more appropriate would be to use
a modified dataset for calculation of thermal neu-
trality in this group. Instead of mean monthly tem-
peratures, an average between monthly mean tem-
peratures and average monthly minimum (night)
temperatures can be entered into the equation. This
will result in thermal neutralities lower than they
would be if calculated from all-day averages.
Other tools, for instance the 'bioclimatic chart'
offered by Givoni (1976), make it possible to deter-
mine the effect of changing building-related para-
meters such as thermal inertia ('mass effect') and the
ventilation rate on thermal comfort. It shows that, by
making certain changes to these parameters, the
comfort zone can be 'expanded'.
An interesting thermal stress indicator, the
Humidex, was proposed in 1979 by Masterton and
Richardson (in Lewis 1993) to combine effects of
temperature and humidity during the so called 'heat
waves' in Canada (Table 1). A heat wave is defined
by Canada's Atmospheric Environment Service as a
period of three or more days with a maximum tem-
perature greater than or equal to 29.5°C and a
mean temperature of at least 24°C. After a high
correlation has been found between mean dry bulb
temperatures (DBT) and mean Humidex, the
regression equation was suggested to base the indi-
cator on air temperature only:
Zbigniew Bromberek
Humidexmean = 1.13 DBTmean + 2.91
In almost saturated air, a Humidex value of 40
can be reached with DBT as low as 27°C. This is
because the indicator is based on data from mod-
erate to cool climates
Table 1. Human responses to a range of Humidex
values
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
There is some merit in applying Humidex (or
other, similar, index) to measure thermal stress in
tourists. For a visitor to the tropics, local conditions
are a sudden increase in temperature and humidi-
ty-exactly the same way as a heat wave at home
would have been. It appears that Humidex gives
satisfactory indication of the degree of human dis-
comfort likely to be encountered in given conditions
of temperature and humidity increase. This is not to
imply that Humidex allows for prediction of heat
stress from temperature means alone.
Nevertheless, it displays opportunities unlocked by
this method.
Thermal comfort equations have proven quite
accurate in predicting perceptions of local residents
exposed to given conditions for months rather than
days as it is the case when considering tourists.
Furthermore, residents commit themselves to their
home environment and resist change (for various
reasons) even if they might not have accepted the
tropics. Tourists, on the other hand, make con-
scious choices about their holiday destinations.
Many go there in search of this 'tropical experience'.
As it seems, most of their recreation takes place in
'controlled discomfort' conditions (compare Baker,
1993).
Expectations of tourists, hence their preferences,
can be quite unlike those of local residents. Tourists
do not behave in an 'average' way, either. Along
with rapidity of change (coming from cooler zones
to the tropics is for them a matter of hours rather
27

Zbigniew Bromberek
Fig 5. Human responses to tropical conditions
than days or weeks) goes a specific behavioural
pattern setting them in two different environments:
one for the day and another for the night. Day-time
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
activities usually are taken in open-air spaces, with
deliberate and willing exposure to otherwise intol-
erable conditions of high solar irradiation and high
temperatures. This behavioural preference also
may be exploited as many traditionally indoor activ-
ities in the resort, such as dining and social events,
can be moved outdoors. Even night rest can be
(optionally) taken in open-to-air or even unroofed
spaces after ensuring that certain level of privacy
and security are provided.
Many researchers believe that whether or not
any given situation is accepted as thermally com-
fortable depends in part on the environment, and in
part on a judgement by the individual exposed to
the environment. Also in ASHRAE's description
(1985), human thermal comfort is 'a state of mind,
subjectively assessing current physical conditions'.
This is a very important statement. It allows for a
very special role in thermal comfort to be played by
psychological factors, such as expectations and
preparedness. These factors, generally expressed
as attitude, could be the most important for comfort
perception among tourists. The impact of this sub-
jectiveness on actual comfort/discomfort, however,
is little known.
The tropics are popularly misinterpreted as
'unbearably hot and humid for visitors' type of cli-
mate. Generally, it is not the case with the dry trop-
ics where relative humidity is low and large diurnal
temperature swings provide nightly relief during the
entire year. In the wet tropics, on the other hand,
28
while humidity is very high for most of the year, heat
can be a significant problem during only two or
three summer months. For example, one computer
simulation (Bromberek, 1995) suggested that in
Cooktown, the northernmost township in
Queensland, Australia temperature would be too
high for 1.9 per cent of a year if only air moved at
speeds of 1.5m/s or higher. This is only 4-5 hours
a day during the hottest two or three months! Even
then, however, tourists tend to stay outdoors and
willingly expose themselves to those high ambient
temperatures, humidity and solar radiation. For this
reason and a few others, it can be argued that, with
respect to comfort, tourists should be considered a
group of building users distinctively different from
residents. The survey carried out in tropical
Australia (Bromberek, 1999) offered evidence that
different attitudes of tourists made the majority of
them see conditions there acceptable, and the use
of air-conditioners in their accommodation not
required.
ECO-RESORT DESIGN AND
PROVISION OF COMFORT
Pressure of recent trends more and more often
opens for development areas that are separated
from established settlements (and the electricity
grid) either by distance, terrain or island location.
The physical isolation of many tourist facilities oper-
ating in very sensitive natural environments has
been maintained-and probably will be maintained
for some time-as a sine qua non condition of their
ecological sustainability and the tourist appeal.
Such isolated locations, although ecologically
desirable and attractive for visitors, pose consider-
able challenges. First and foremost, they usually
make operating a resort both difficult and expen-
sive. In particular, costs related to energy demand
can prove to be enormous. It is a problem of rec-
onciling the visitor needs with operating costs and
environmental impacts. Lowering the total demand
for energy, which is the principal requirement of
resort feasibility, should be understood as a search
for the best match between quantity of energy sup-
plied and its purposeful use. This can eventually
result in higher consumer satisfaction, especially if
tourists are made aware that by limiting their

Fig 6. Eco-resort plan and design is a compromise
between user demands and environmental con-
straints.
demands, the resort will make a lower impact on
the natural environment.
Tropical climates challenge but also offer oppor-
tunities. It can be demonstrated that knowledgeable
and skilful utilization of the climate greatly
enhances the 'tropical experience'-probably the
most sought-after commodity in the tropical eco-
tourism. Designers and planners working in tropical
locations have to respond to heat, which is a dom-
inant problem throughout extended periods of time,
and address a few other climate-derived problems.
Buildings in the tropics are affected by solar radia-
tion (insulation), temperature and humidity, and
their integrity requires resisting-extreme at times-
wind pressure and precipitation. At the same time,
they must ensure availability of wind and breezes to
alleviate combined effects of the former three. A
great deal of effort, technical skill and judgement,
gained from experience, is needed to bridge the
gap between the raw climatic data and apprecia-
tion of its effects on the internal environment creat-
ed by a particular building design. The climate's
influence is particularly evident in so called 'free-
running' or 'passive' buildings, which do not employ
HVAC devices. Every eco-resort should aspire to
have its indoor environment controlled without sup-
port from mechanical means and be able to
respond to the climate by the virtue of its design
only.
From a resort designer/planner's point of view,
one of the more significant aspects is that eco-
Zbigniew Bromberek
Fig 7. The tropical buildings and targeted part of
the diurnal cycle
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
tourists are encouraged to get involved in activities
primarily, if not exclusively, staged outdoors. This
particular focus of eco-tourism determines the
character of the visit in the tropics as 'outdoor-ori-
ented'. Most of the enclosed spaces within a resort
are used almost exclusively at night, and we pro-
pose that thermal comfort in them is assured as
long as indoor conditions are not substantially dif-
ferent from those outdoors. It can be recommend-
ed that guest units, used mostly at night, have their
climate controlled in accurate response to the
requirements of the moment. This control should
utilize the simplest passive means, such as mass,
shading and ventilation because, unlike in residen-
tial buildings, the itinerant users cannot be expect-
ed to learn how to operate more sophisticated
and/or complex controls. Furthermore, the real
needs should be established to avoid extreme ther-
mal stress rather than aim at long-term comfort.
Education of the users, focussed on environmental
benefits and the extraordinary exotic experience of
the tropics, should become a vital part of the eco-
resort operational strategy (Fig 7).
Mass in guest accommodation can render over-
heated environments due to time-lagged heat
inputs. On the other hand, it seems that quite
appropriate is using mass in resort building and
their parts used during the day. When combined
with extensive night-time ventilation, flushing out
heated air and cooling the structure, it can ensure
lower-than-the-ambient indoor temperature for
29
Zbigniew Bromberek
Fig 8. Responses to tropical day/night conditions
with the building's mass
substantial part of the day. Guest units should be
able to cool down immediately following drops in
outside temperature and this requires very low
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
mass. Moreover, the structure should be re-radiat-
ing any residue heat to the air and, in particular,
night sky, both acting as heat sinks. When put
together, mass requirements call for a hybrid struc-
ture-in part virtually transparent to heat and in part
capable of storing large amounts of it (Fig. 8).
Shading is most important in roofs and west-
ern/eastern walls. Shading of the roof can be
achieved with the double-shell type of structure also
known as 'parasol roof'. The heated air should be
removed from under the top shell through e.g.
ridge vents the mechanism can be employed in the
stack effect circulation, this way contributing to
overall ventilation rate (Fig 9, 10). It is important
that entire walls on western and eastern sides, and
Fig 10. 'Parasol' roof on a guest unit at Amanwana Resort, Indonesia
30
Fig 9. Section through a until with double-shell or
'parasol' roof and roof vent
not only openings, are shaded. Shading should
ensure free movement of air over the envelope to
facilitate cooling.
Ventilation is the most important passive means
in removing excess heat (cooling). Most effective is
cross-ventilation but stack ventilation can also be
employed to remove heated air from the top layer
of the unit's volume. Ventilation is the area where
the link between the external and internal climates
is most pronounced. In great many situations venti-
lation will not work properly if it is not supported by
landscaping-exposing the building to the prevailing
winds and breezes, re-directing them where neces-
sary and screening where needed.
Ideally, information on local climate and reliable
local experience should be considered jointly to
fully appreciate all climatic influences. Then they
can be utilized (with or without modification) to
shape the microclimate of the site around the build-
ing. Changes introduced by a design at this level
can provide significant benefits, as opposed to
attempts at macroclimate and mesoclimate levels,
the latter being generally beyond the designer's
influence. This approach, in addition to improving
the amenity and extending the utility of outdoor
spaces, can help to minimize or even avoid what
are often more complex and expensive measures in
the design of the building itself.
CONCLUSION
As eco-tourism develops and reaches out to tropi-
cal areas, it encounters conditions previously
thought of as 'out of comfort limits'. For some time
now, with the use of dedicated building systems, we
have been able to provide indoor comfort even
under the harshest tropical conditions.
Nevertheless, mechanical HVAC systems cannot be
considered an appropriate option for eco-resorts
and comfort in the tropics can be achieved also
with passive design, which appears to be a viable
alternative. Passive means are quite capable of pro-
viding comfort levels acceptable to the majority of
users of tropical eco-tourist resorts. All the environ-
mental parameters should be considered jointly.
They all contribute to individual perceptions of
comfort/discomfort interplaying with each other-
particularly in a holiday situation. Comfort depends
not only on a global sensation of warmth or the
relationship between the several factors which can
affect the heat exchange between the body and the
environment. Comfort of tourists in the tropics is
more than that. The combined effect of all the influ-
encing factors, namely environmental comfort,
should be considered, particularly in reference to
the itinerant users.
A limited study (Bromberek, 2006), which
focussed on night-time temperatures, correspond-
ing thermal neutralities and Humidex indices, found
tropical resorts performing reasonably well without
air-conditioning. This dented the established beliefs
and delivered another argument against HVAC use
on a year-round basis. Passive design offers many
opportunities for the desirable climate modifica-
tions. Employing passive rather than HVAC-sup-
ported design also means that it is more likely to
have comfort provided in an eco-friendly way. It is
Zbigniew Bromberek
capable of modifying the indoor climate and
belongs in the tropical eco-resort setting, as it does
not carry detrimental implications-for the environ-
ment, economics and operational aspects-of using
mechanical devices to provide indoor comfort to
visitors.
There are many reasons why tourism in tropical
areas should contribute to sustainable development
and be integrated with the natural, cultural and
human environments. It must respect the fragile
balances that characterize many tropical destina-
tions, particularly small islands and environmental-
ly sensitive areas. Eco-resorts, when mindfully
designed, are capable of ensuring an acceptable
solution in regard of natural resources, biodiversity,
capacity for assimilation of impacts, generated
waste and emissions. Protection of the environment
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Eco-Resorts in Tropical Coasts: Design and Comfort
is a factor of tremendous importance to building
activities in the tropics.
REFERENCES
ALLCOCK, A., JONES, B., LANE, S. and GRANT, J. 1994,
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Author's Address
Zbigniew Bromberek
School of Architecture
University of Tasmania
Australia
z.bromberek@utas.edu.au

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