UNIVERSITY OF BATANGAS LIPA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT

Written Report No.1:

Elements, Factors, and Concepts of Climatic Design

For the Subject Tropical Design 1

Prepared for

Ar. Joanne Cristabel S. Bernadino

Subject Adviser

Prepared by

John Paul Y. Campued

Researcher

September 20, 2022

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction………………………………….………………………………………….1

Weather………………….................................................................................…...3

Climate…………………………………………………………………………….…….4

Difference between Climate and Weather.…………………………...…………...5

Koppen System………………………………………………………………………...6

Types of Climate……………………………………………………………………….7

Climatic Elements……………………………………………………………………..7

Climate of the Philippines……………………………………………………………9

Important Elements of Climate and Weather in the Philippines………………..9

Climate types in the Philippines.……………………………………………...…..11

Monsoon in the Philippines…………………………………………...……………12

Prevailing Winds ………………………………………………………………….…13

Typhoon, Hurricane, Cyclones, Tropical Depressions and Tropical

Storms…………………………………………………………………………….……14

Tropical Design ………………………………………………………………………15

Characteristics of Tropical Climate ………………………………………………15

Design Objectives and Considerations for Tropical Climate ………..………16

Conclusion & Recommendations…………………………………………………20

References………………………………………………………………………….…22

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INTRODUCTION

The Background

There are 195 universally recognized countries in the world today according
to the world meter which are subdivided into 7 continents. From largest to smallest
in size the continents across the globe are Asia, Africa, North America, South
America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. A diverse climatic conditions
throughout the year in Asia could be attributed to its location on the globe. The
southeast area remains moist whereas the interior generally stays dry. The
western part of Asia is known to have extremely high temperatures while
monsoons are seen in eastern and southern areas because of the Himalayas. The
Southwest section of Asia remains hot and experiences the highest number of
tropical cyclones in between the Philippines and Japan.

Countries in Asia and all over the world are experiencing different types of
climate and weather some of them have tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental and
Polar climate and some of them don't. Some may experience sunny, rainy, windy,
stormy and cloudy days and some don't experience one way or another.

According to PAGASA, 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 aspects to the climate of the countries of
Central America.

Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the climate of the country can be
divided into two major seasons: (1) the rainy season, from June to November; and
(2) the dry season, from December to May. The dry season may be subdivided
further into (a) the cool dry season, from December to February; and (b) the hot
dry season, from March to May.

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The Philippines is the third most vulnerable country to climate change

according to the 2017 world risk report. The weather may develop into extreme
seasonal conditions, such as storms and floods during the wet months to heat
wave during the dry seasons. Buildings can be vulnerable to climate change.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges faced by human society in the
21st century. In the future there may be an increase in the risk of collapse, declining
health and significant loss of value as a result of more storms or subsidence
damage, water encroachment, deteriorating indoor climate and reduced building
lifetime. In the short term stronger storms are the greatest challenge.

Changing rainfall, wind, temperature, storm and other climatic patterns will
all influence building design. Henceforward, Elements, Factors, and Concepts of
Climatic Design will be highlighted and given importance to facilitate an increase
in the energy efficiency of buildings and improves the living and working
environment for occupants/ residents through ecologically sustainable means in
our country. Climatic design is practiced throughout the world and has been shown
to produce buildings with low energy costs, reduced maintenance, and give
superior comfort.

The Purpose

The purpose of this study is to highlight the importance of Elements,

Factors, and Concepts of Climatic Design and show how vulnerable a building or
any establishment will be in various regions in the Philippines if not given
emphasis.

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The Scope

This study will be focusing on the importance of climatic design and how it
affects building patterns in various regions in the Philippines. The general objective
of this study is to scrutinize and highlight how climate plays a very important role
in architectural and building forms. Through this research, future house or building
owners will be able to know the significance of the elements factors & concepts of
Climatic Design to create necessary internal comfort within their specific allotted
budget not compromising the future of their generations.

BODY/ CONTENT

When asked to random persons what is the difference between weather

and climate most of them answer “isn't it the same?” While few of them had
answered Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get. Here in the
Philippines it's either a rainy day and a sunny day.

According to National Geographic Society, The term ‘Weather’ refers to the

temporary conditions of the atmosphere, the layer of air that surrounds the Earth.
Weather doesn’t just stay in one place. It moves, and changes from hour to hour
or day to day. There are six main components, or parts, of weather. They are
temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, and cloudiness.

Weather describes what is happening outdoors at a certain location at a

certain time. The weather can change dramatically over a short period of time.
Weather includes daily changes in precipitation, humidity, barometric pressure,
temperature, and wind.

In Merriam- Webster dictionary, weather is define as the state of the

atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm,
clearness or cloudiness. It is a disagreeable atmospheric conditions.There are
really a lot of components to weather. Weather includes sunshine, rain, cloud

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cover, winds, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain, flooding, blizzards, ice storms,
thunderstorms, steady rains from a cold front or warm front, excessive heat, heat
waves and more.

In addition to that, as what stated by Glossary of Meteorology (2008),

Weather is driven by air pressure, temperature, and moisture differences between
one place and another. These differences can occur due to the Sun's angle at any
particular spot, which varies with latitude. The strong temperature contrast
between polar and tropical air gives rise to the largest scale atmospheric
circulations: the Hadley cell, the Ferrel cell, the polar cell, and the jet stream.
Weather systems in the middle latitudes, such as extratropical cyclones, are
caused by instabilities of the jet streamflow. Because Earth's axis is tilted relative
to its orbital plane (called the ecliptic), sunlight is incident at different angles at
different times of the year. On Earth's surface, temperatures usually range ±40 °C
(−40 °F to 104 °F) annually. Over thousands of years, changes in Earth's orbit can
affect the amount and distribution of solar energy received by Earth, thus
influencing long-term climate and global climate change. It was mentioned in the
article of Australian Academy of Science entitled “What is climate change?” that
Weather is influenced by the oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, which together
with the atmosphere form what is called the ‘climate system’.

That being said, when we say Climate, it is the weather conditions

prevailing in an area in general or over a long period. According to Merriam-
Webster dictionary, climate is define as the average course or condition of the
weather at a place usually over a period of years as exhibited by temperature, wind
velocity, and precipitation.

If we were to look on the description of Climate written in (Matthews, et al.,

2021), it is stated that Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically
averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of
meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years.

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Some of the meteorological variables that are commonly measured are

temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, and precipitation. In a broader
sense, climate is the state of the components of the climate system, including the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere and biosphere and the
interactions between them. The climate of a location is affected by its
latitude/longitude, terrain, altitude, land use and nearby water bodies and their
currents.

Different parts of the world have different climates. Some parts of the world
are hot and rainy nearly every day. They have a tropical wet climate. Others are
cold and snow-covered most of the year. They have a polar climate. Between the
icy poles and the steamy tropics are many other climates that contribute to Earth’s
biodiversity and geologic heritage.

The atmosphere is the most variable part of the climate system. The
composition and movement of gases surrounding the Earth can change radically,
influenced by natural and human-made factors. Changes to the hydrosphere,
which include variations in temperature and salinity, occur at much slower rates
than changes to the atmosphere. In simpler term, Climate is the average weather
conditions of a place over a period of years.

With all this in mind, Climate and Weather have their own differences.
While weather refers to short term atmospheric conditions, climate is the weather
of a specific region averaged over a long period of time. According to the definition
of NASA (2005), the difference between weather and climate is a measure of time.
Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and
climate is how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time.

Weather is basically the way the atmosphere is behaving, mainly with

respect to its effects upon life and human activities. The difference between
weather and climate is that weather consists of the short-term (minutes to months)

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changes in the atmosphere. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature,

humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric
pressure, as in high and low pressure.

In most places, weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour,

day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate, however, is the average of weather
over time and space. An easy way to remember the difference is that climate is
what you expect, like a very hot summer, and weather is what you get, like a hot
day with pop-up thunderstorms.

On the other hand, the Koppen System, according to the national

geographic website, is one of the most common climate classification systems in
the world. It is used to denote different climate regions on Earth based on local
vegetation. It is stated that Köppen climate classification system categorizes
climate zones throughout the world based on local vegetation. Wladimir Köppen,
a German botanist and climatologist, first developed this system at the end of the
19th century, basing it on the earlier biome research conducted by scientists.
These scientists learned that vegetation and climate are intricately linked. The
vegetation that grows in a region is dependent on the temperature and precipitation
there, which are two key factors of climate. Areas with more rainfall and higher
temperatures contain more forests while regions with less rainfall tend to be
deserts. The Köppen climate classification system has been enhanced and
modified several times since it was first published. Köppen’s classification maps
are still used by scientists and climatologists to this day. Although he published his
first map in the early 1900s, Köppen continued to update it until his death in 1940.
Subsequent climatologists, including Rudolf Geiger, updated versions of this map,
which often include Geiger’s name as well. At the time of writing, a recent revision
to this map was published in 2018.

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There are approximately five main Types of Climate: tropical, dry,

temperate, continental, and polar.

According to NOAA SciJinks (n.d.), climate scientists split the Earth into
approximately five main types of climates. They are: (1) Tropical- in this hot and
humid zone, the average temperatures are greater than 64°F (18°C) year-round
and there is more than 59 inches of precipitation each year. (2) Dry- these climate
zones are so dry because moisture is rapidly evaporated from the air and there is
very little precipitation. (3) Temperate- in this zone, there are typically warm and
humid summers with thunderstorms and mild winters. (4) Continental- these
regions have warm to cool summers and very cold winters. In the winter, this zone
can experience snowstorms, strong winds, and very cold temperatures—
sometimes falling below -22°F (-30°C)! (5) Polar- in the polar climate zones, it’s
extremely cold. Even in summer, the temperatures here never go higher than 50°F
(10°C)!

According to the article posted on the website of Build Magazine (2021),

buildings are constantly subject to several climatic and environmental elements.
From wind, sunlight, temperature, rain and other factors, buildings across the globe
interact uniquely with the different elements of their surrounding climate. Because
of this, building design and construction methods vary from one place to another
to accommodate different challenges.

They stated the different Climatic Elements: Wind is a significant factor in

building and construction because of its destructive capability. Both average wind
speeds and prevailing direction must be considered in the design process for the
building to be able to withstand the peak of wind forces. Building features like roofs
and cladding are most vulnerable to wind. Residential buildings, in particular, are
designed to resist wind forces with ridge and hip designs. Underneath, strong and
durable dry hip systems provide resistance against uplift forces.

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Rainfall is also an important consideration for building projects.

Accumulation of rainfall can be detrimental to the integrity of a building, hence why
more buildings in wetter regions of the world are built with gable or hip roofs as
opposed to flat roof systems. Protecting internal structures and materials from
rainfall is also essential, again relying on a solid roof barrier and underlying
membrane.

Temperature has a significant influence on the materials used in a building

project. Air temperature determines the materials used for the above-ground
structure, while soil-temperature plays a big role in the choice of foundation. The
average air temperature also determines the use and thickness of insulation in a
building, with colder climates needing more insulation to retain heat.

Sunlight is an important consideration because of the role of the sun’s

energy. Warmer regions of the world, namely areas nearer to the equator, adopt
different building practices and designs to block more sunlight. For example,
smaller windows are used to limit the amount of sunlight entering a building, as
opposed to colder regions where the window to wall ratio changes to harness more
sunlight. Designing buildings to face a certain way is also an important task for
architects to capture light at certain times of the day and avoid it at others.

Finally, Humidity is a significant factor when choosing building materials and

designing structures. Higher levels of humidity increase the likelihood of
condensation and water erosion in buildings, so water-resistant and anti-corrosive
materials are chosen to limit this issue. Furthermore, circulation in buildings with
higher internal or external humidity is a more significant consideration to protect
the structural integrity.

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In accordance with PAGASA (n.d.), 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. Temperature, humidity, and rainfall, which are
discussed hereunder, are the most important elements of the country's weather
and climate. Below are the Important Elements of Climate and Weather in the
Philippines

For the Temperature; based on the average of all weather stations in the
Philippines, excluding Baguio, the mean annual temperature 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. 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 and because of this, it is known as
the summer capital of the Philippines. The difference between the mean annual
temperature of the southernmost station in Zamboanga and that of the northermost
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.

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For the Humidity; it 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
percent in March and 85 percent in September. The combination of warm
temperature and high relative and absolute humidities give rise to high sensible
temperature throughout the archipelago. It is especially uncomfortable during
March to May, when temperature and humidity attain their maximum levels.

For the Rainfall; it 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. 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.

It is stated that using temperature and rainfall as bases, the climate of the
Philippines can be divided into two major seasons: (1) the rainy season, from June
to November; and (2) the dry season, from December to May. The dry season may
be subdivided further into (a) the cool dry season, from December to February;
and (b) the hot dry season, from March to May.
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Based on the distribution of rainfall, four climate types are recognized, which
are described as follows: 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. Their movements follow a north-westerly
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.

Below are the Climate types in the Philippines

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In accordance with the article of Philippine Daily Inquirer (2013), Monsoons

are seasonal winds that bring heavy rains. According to the Philippine Atmospheric
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the country experiences
two kinds of monsoons—the northeast monsoon and the southwest monsoon. The
northeast monsoon, commonly called amihan, affects eastern Philippines from
October to late March. Initially a cold, dry air mass, it comes from Siberia and
gathers moisture over the Pacific Ocean before reaching the eastern parts of the
country. It is characterized by widespread cloudiness with rains and showers. The
southwest monsoon, on the other hand, is called habagat. Characterized by heavy
rains that last for a week, it affects the country from July to September and brings
the rainy season to the western part of the country.

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On the other hand, Prevailing Winds are winds that blow consistently in a
given direction over a particular region on Earth. According to the Enviropedia
(2015), due to factors such as uneven heating from the Sun and the Earth's
rotation, these winds vary at different latitudes on Earth. Prevailing winds are
important for determining locations of wind farms in order to generate electricity.
Prevailing winds also determine the amount of rainfall that different regions get. In
Southeastern Asia, these winds result in the formation of monsoons and deserts.
The West coast of South and North America receives abundant rain during the
winter due to these winds. In meteorology, prevailing wind in a region of the Earth's
surface is a surface wind that blows predominantly from a particular direction. The
dominant winds are the trends in direction of wind with the highest speed over a
particular point on the Earth's surface at any given time. According to the
information provided by Mometrix Test Preparation (n.d.), a region's prevailing and
dominant winds are the result of global patterns of movement in the Earth's
atmosphere. In general, winds are
predominantly easterly at low
latitudes globally. In the mid-
latitudes, westerly winds are
dominant, and their strength is
largely determined by the polar
cyclone. In areas where winds tend
to be light, the sea breeze/land
breeze cycle is the most important
cause of the prevailing wind; in
areas which have variable terrain, mountain and valley breezes dominate the wind
pattern. Highly elevated surfaces can induce a thermal low, which then augments
the environmental wind flow.

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Moreover, Typhoon, Hurricane, Cyclones, Tropical Depressions and

Tropical Storms are matters that links to the researcher’s topic.
Based on the definition provided in the Britannica Dictionary.

TYPHOON An extremely large, powerful, and

destructive storm that occurs
especially in the region of the
Philippines or the China Sea.

HURRICANE An extremely large, powerful, and

destructive storm with very strong
winds that occurs especially in the
western part of the Atlantic Ocean.

CYCLONE An extremely large, powerful, and

destructive storm with very high winds
that turn around an area of low
pressure.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION An atmospheric low-pressure system

originating in the tropics, specifically, a
tropical cyclone in which the maximum
sustained wind speed is 38 miles per
hour (62 kilometers per hour) or less.

TROPICAL STORM A localized, very intense low-pressure

wind system, forming over tropical
oceans and with winds of hurricane
force.

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Into the bargain, as stated by Archian (2013), Tropical Design is the

strategic arrangement of elements in buildings and structures to respond to
specific conditions of weather, sun and climate prevalent in the Tropic Region. In
addition, this is correlated to tropical architecture wherein it is stated in the article
posted in Architropics (n.d.) that it is a design that focuses and responds to the
climatic conditions of the tropics. It studies the significant influences that impact
architecture in tropical regions and develops passive strategies to lessen heat
gain. It also encourages air movement through a home or building. That being said,
Energy load consumption for cooling buildings in equatorial regions is
exceptionally high. Some research suggests cooling consumes more than 50% of
all energy consumption. Hence, using passive strategies for thermal comfort is
ideal since this can reduce or eliminate the need for air conditioning.

Tropical Climate, according to the Toppr (n.d.), is a non-arid climate and in

this climate all twelve months have a temperature of warmer than 18° centigrade
or 64° F. However, there are only two seasons in the tropical climates: a wet
season and on the other hand a dry season.

That being said, talking about The Characteristics of Tropical Climate;

the term tropical meaning it is a very specific word which has an average
temperature. The wet season might run away from the high-sun half of the year in
the case of Aw/As climates. It runs from the month of April to the month of
September in the northern hemisphere. And in the southern hemisphere from the
month of October to the month of March.

It also might run from the low-sun half of the year that runs from the month
of October to the month of March in the northern hemisphere, and from the month
of April to the month of September in the southern hemisphere.

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The tropical climates are basically frost-free, and in the solar angle, the
changes are very small. In the tropical climates, throughout the year the
temperature remains relatively constant (warm) and the sunlight is intense.

The climate there is tropical meaning to say it is very hot and humid in the
temperature.

For the Design Objectives and Considerations for Tropical Climate, It

is stated in the article posted in RTF (n.d.) and below listed are 10 design
considerations an architect must make while building in tropical climates:

1. Sun Study

For a tropical zone, the kind with peak temperatures touching 30

degree C and diurnal variations being as much as 20 degrees C; to study
the sun and daylight, its solar radiations along with the energy analysis is
pivotal if one plans to segregate the external spaces, interiors, and the light-
sensitive spaces while including the characteristic passive design elements
such as mutual shading and adaptability to the seasonal locus change of
the sun.

2. Form

For a hot, windy and often, humid environment, the form is one of the
primary considerations for passive design when the objective is to provide
superlative thermal comfort to the user and protection of both, the living
spaces and the external areas. ‘Compactness’ and ‘Perimeter to Area Ratio’
are two proven methodologies for optimal design in terms of combat against
thermal gain, orientation along sun paths, and ease of access of sunlight
wherever necessary on the premises. Demanding compact buildings and
levied with minimal compromises, inward-looking buildings with interior
courtyards for the creation of cooling areas are necessary to minimize the

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heat gain and when clubbed, the volumetric effect for grouped cooling in
massive buildings is another avenue to explore in urban design.

3. Orientation

The orientation of a building being majorly influenced by the varying

amount of solar radiation falling on different sides of the building at different
times of the day is another passive design strategy concentrated into the
design along with the form, the aim of which is to encourage clustered
arrangements for heat absorption and shading opportunities. Besides sun
orientation, another factor to look at is the orientation of the building along
with the directions of the prevailing winds for optimum cross-ventilation and
cooling of the structure.

4. Openings

Being the determinant of breathability of a building primarily through

the exchange of air, openings are critical in a building but the location and
size of which vary with the geographical targets. Irrespective of the same,
however, it is to be made sure of that the wind entering the house is not
passing over hot surfaces and that the openings are large and operable yet
manageable when it comes to rain, insects and other gears of nature; all
considered during the meticulous placement of the openings along wind
channels and behind tree buffers for alignment with the wind orientations
and even sun orientations to limit the daylight entering the structure.

5. Shading

To limit the heat gain, access to daylight and its entry through the
openings, shading devices are essential environmental controls that greatly
reduce the need for mechanical heating and cooling systems. The architect has
to choose between external and internal shading devices focusing on keeping

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the mean radiant temperature of the building low, also achievable through the
coherent formation of solar envelopes for self-shading and natural flora and its
buffers.

6. Glazing

To further limit the entrapment of heat and entry of solar radiations

into the building through the openings, proper window performance is of
utmost importance since windows incur 20 to 30 times more transactions of
heat in a structure than the walls. The glazing in windows traps the heat and
increases the mean radiant temperature of the building which in turn
stimulates the internal temperature and imbalances the conditional nature
of the utility spaces which are in fact, heat-sensitive centres of a building.

7. Planning

Planning or zoning of a building involves prudent thought applied in

terms of room-by-room layouts, consideration of different seasons and
times of the day the spaces are used the most extensively and better
defining the spaces as primary or auxiliary in relation with the former two.
The architect must exploit the climatic advantages of the spaces accessible
in the overall plan and even ideation of transformability of spaces through
the day and night for segregation of areas that have higher internal radiant
loads and areas with active requirements for conventional cooling.

8. Spaces

Of the three primary spaces in a house, namely the external, the

internal, and the light-sensitive spaces, the former two are common to every
house and hence, require attention in terms of ingress of light during the
seasonal flux and the overall vertical and horizontal zoning schemes
developed. The light-sensitive spaces, exclusive to museums, natatoriums,

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etc, which do not need direct sunlight have to be well planned in terms of
positioning and detachment to eliminate the risk of direct exposure to the
natural elements.

9. Constructional Elements

While building structures with high thermal capacity for optimal heat gain
and retention would be ideal, such a setting fails in a tropical climate. In fact,
buildings built in low thermal capacity and lightweight construction are ideal.
That paired with the principles of heat transfer, the ceiling must be kept at the
same temperature as the other surfaces, i.e. a literal reflective surface, for
which a double ceiling constructed above the spaces under the influence of
solar radiation suffers immense decrements in heat gain.

10. Thermal Mass

Thermal Mass of a material is its ability to absorb and store heat, and
for a climate as hot and humid as the kind found in the tropical zones, the
denser thermal mass material used, the better; all due to its ability to absorb
heat just as fast as it releases it. The statement entails using appropriate levels
of shading, ventilation, and insulation while keeping in mind the mass color as
well.

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CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

The Philippines’ climate is distinguished by relatively high temperatures,

high humidity and plentiful rainfall. The Philippines is rich with architectural legacy,
including traditional Filipino dwellings known as Bahay Kubo. An ideal Filipino
home is usually elevated from the ground, raised a few steps, or perhaps a meter
above the ground. The characteristic roof form and slope provide a vital distinction
and individuality to a tropical dwelling. This kind of design is prevalent across Asia,

As market trends in modern residential designs evolve, lots of approaches

and techniques are being used and applied by architects. Some of them developed
pleasant, safe and sustainable houses and gives equal emphasis. Quality houses
have aesthetics, amenities, reinforced structures and architectural features that
can withstand adverse weather conditions and aging.

Filipino architects are increasingly advocating for sturdier roofs and walls,
storm-proofing, flood mitigation and energy-efficient features in contemporary
homes to safeguard modern buildings from potentially disastrous weather. The
design of an all-weather house that withstand most local climate challenges are in
demand.

The building industry has improved in battling high thermal mass with
alternative insulation. Many new insulated wall panels today are more efficient and
environment-friendly. Alternative insulation is also a great way to protect the walls,
ceilings and floors of a house from solar heat gain. These innovative materials,
from polystyrene concrete to mineral wool, help keep the inside temperature
consistently more relaxed throughout the year.

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Local homebuilders start ensuring that their residences are built to endure
heavy rain, high winds, and high humidity. As they say, the single most important
investment one may have in a lifetime is a sturdy house/establishment. With this,
the importance of Elements, Factors, and Concepts of Climatic Design must not
be disregarded and shall be given importance.

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REFERENCES

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NASA. (2005, February 1). Retrieved from nasa.gov:

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