TROPICAL DESIGN - concept

TROPICAL DESIGN (particularly green concept)

PRELIMINARY
TROPICAL ARCHITECTURE -
design style (including vernacular, art
INTRODUCTION deco)

Large trees to block the sun →

ABOUT? landscapes
● The course is about identifying the
techniques for designing and ● PASSIVE DESIGN - This is the
planning buildings considering the process of achieving comfort level
technological and social constraints without the use of MECHANICAL
prevailing in the HOT-HUMID SYSTEMS.
TROPIC CLIMATES with ○ SUCH AS AIRCON AND
architectural solutions. ELECTRIC FAN

COURSE OUTLINES
1. INTRODUCTION TO TROPICAL
DESIGN
2. CLIMATE AND IMPACT ON THE
BUILT ENVIRONMENT ● TROPICAL ARCHITECTURE - This
3. WORLD CLIMATE AND CLIMATE is all about tackling the urban heat
CLASSIFICATION island effect.
4. BUILDING DESIGN ● HEAT ISLAND EFFECT - A
CONSIDERATION: AIR phenomenon that results from cities
MOVEMENT that have very little greenery and
5. BUILDING DESIGN very many concrete surfaces. The
CONSIDERATION: SOLAR city will have 2 to 3 degrees Celsius
ORIENTATION higher temperatures than that of the
6. MICROCLIMATE, VEGETATION, surrounding suburbs and
BUILDING MATERIALS, AND countryside.
BIOCLIMATIC CONCEPTS
7. HISTORY AND BACKGROUND MECHANICAL SYSTEM - lahat ng
may makina, aircon, electric fan
WHAT IS TROPICAL DESIGN?
● This concerns a country where HEAT ISLAND EFFECT - konti
DISCOMFORT DUE TO HEAT AND nalang yung green surfaces and
HUMIDITY ARE DOMINANT trees; puro concrete na; mas konti
PROBLEMS. na open spaces (Eg. Manila);
● It is all about achieving THERMAL commonly happen on urban places
COMFORT THROUGH PASSIVE
DESIGN ELEMENTS:
○ SUNSHADES TROPICAL DESIGN IN BUILDING
○ CAVITY WALLS DESIGN
○ OVERHANGS
○ ROOF AND WALL CLIMATE RESPONSIVE
INSULATION ARCHITECTURE IS A MUST IN
○ SHADING FROM LARGE BUILDING DESIGN
TREES TO BLOCK THE
SUN
 ● RESPONSIVE ARCHITECTURE - TWO SEASONS IN THE
Using NATURE as an example PHILIPPINES
● The building exterior elements could 1. DRY
be responsive to the wind, sun, rain, 2. WET
temperature, etc. (MACRO)
● The Interior could interact digitally 4 SEASONS IN THE WORLD
with the users (MICRO) 1. WINTER
● A climate-responsive building 2. SUMMER
envelope is only one functional 3. FALL
criterion for correct design. 4. SPRING

BUILDING ENVELOPE - Refers to COURSE OUTLINES

the basis for orientation of building;
THE SDP IS IMPORTANT IN
PLANNING A BUILDING.
ADAPTATION - Necessary in
promoting good building design such
as Not removing natural elements
within sites but incorporating them to
the design.
CLIMATE RESPONSIVE
ARCHITECTURE - adapt on what;s
around the surrounding; hindi
nakakasira ng surrounding; hindi
dapat sirain ang natural
environment; we should adapt our
design to it; we use nature as an
example (eg matandang puno; use it
as a shade); take advantage of the
availability of greeneries
TROPICAL DESIGN APPLICATION
● GOOD BUILDING ORIENTATION
must be looked at by architects to
minimize direct solar radiation but
maximize the potential for natural
ventilation.
● LESSON 1: Climate Design Factors
● TROPICAL DESIGN - This is
concerned with countries where
discomfort due to heat and humidity
are the
● dominant problems.
○ Minimize SUN + Maximize
WIND
○ Tropical Design = Passive
Cooling
● HUMAN THERMAL COMFORT
○ Temperature
○ Humidity
○ Air Movement (Breeze or
Draught)
○ Exposure to radiant heat
sources
○ Cool surfaces to radiate for
cooling (Sound building
envelope will moderate all
of this factors except
humidity)

Minimize sun and maximize wind

 HEAT IS PRIMARILY
TROPICAL DESIGN TRANSFERRED DEPENDENT ON:
BY
PRELIMINARY
1. Conduction Surface temperature
Eg. heat transfer
TROPICAL ARCHITECTURE through metals

TROPICAL DESIGN 2. Convection Air temperature, then

air motion, then
● This is concerned with the countries
humidity
where discomfort due to heat and Eg. hot air balloon,
humidity are the dominant problems yelo; nadadaanan ng
● Minimize SUN + Maximize WIND hangin
● Tropical Design = Passive Cooling
3. Radiation Surface temperature
(and orientation of the
HUMAN THERMAL COMFORT body)
● Temperature Microwave, photocopy
● Humidity
● Airme movement (breeze or draught) 4. Evaporation Humidity, air motion,
● Exposure to radiant heat sources air temperature
● Cool surfaces to radiate for cooling boiling
(Sound building envelope will
moderate all of this factors except
humidity)

THE BODY
A. Three (3) Common Layer between
our body cores and our environment
1. Skin (Human)
2. Clothing
3. Skin (Building)
○ facade

B. Losing Body Heat

1. Evaporation of perspiration
2. Radiating to surfaces cooler
than our body temperature
TERMINOLOGIES
C. Gaining Body Heat
1. Clothing
2. Radiation
Ultimately our building will be
expected to demonstrate success
with regard to the measurable
environmental factors of comfort, so
it is necessary to understand how air
and surface temperatures, air motion
and humidity are related to heat
transfer.
“Climate is what you get; weather is what
you expect”
● CLIMATE defined as…
○ A region with certain
temperature, dryness, wind,
light, etc.
○ is known through the
average weather over a
long period of time
● WEATHER is not same everywhere.
○ It is a state of the
atmosphere at a given
place and time.
○ It is a day to day condition
of a particular place,
TROPICAL CLIMATE
● Those regions where heat and b. Visible Light
humidity are the dominant problems,
where the annual mean temperature
is not less than 20 degrees celsius

c. Short infra-red radiation

(Radiant Heat)

TROPICAL CLIMATE in the Philippines

Init galing sa bubong

(walang insulator/ deflector)
esp. Low ceiling; singaw →
short infrared

2. Tilt of the Earth’s Axis

CLIMATE FACTORS
1. Solar Radiation - electromagnetic
radiation (radiant energy) emitted by
the sun

3. Thermal Balance
4. Winds
5. Topography - the arrangement of
the natural and artificial physical
features of an area

a. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation

CLIMATIC ELEMENTS
1. Solar Radiation - absorbs direct
scattered sources of almost earth’s
energy occurs in short wavelengths.
● Radiant Heat Affects the
Structures:
○ Direct Short Wave
Radiation
 ○ Diffused Short 4. Precipitation - mainly rainfall but
Waves Radiation can be in the form of a dew. It can be
○ Reflected measured using a rain gauge in units
Shortwave of inches or centimeters.
Radiation 5. Wind - the direction, frequency and
○ Long Wave force of the wind throughout the
Radiation (from year.
heated ground and
surrounding MICRO CLIMATE
structures) ● The climate of a small, distinct area,
as of a forest or city, or of a confined
space, as of a building or
greenhouse

MICROCLIMATIC CONDITIONS:
1. Time of the day
2. Topography
3. Water
4. Ground surfaces
5. Vegetation

WORLD CLIMATES (GENERAL TYPES

OF CLIMATE)
1. Hot Humid (Tropical)
2. Hot Arid
3. Temperate
2. Air Temperature - temperature of 4. Cold
the air excluding the radiant
temperature. Measure using a Macroclimate - munitinlupa; one
thermometer with units °F and °C. whole city

3. Atmospheric Humidity Microclimate - eg. alabang; small

a. Absolute Humidity - distinct area; confined space
amount of moisture present
in the air (g/m^3) OTHER RELATED INFORMATION
b. Specific Humidity - weight A. For measuring Thermal Conditions
of unit vapor per unit weight 1. Air
of air ○ As temperature
c. Vapor Pressure - partial rises, iots volume
pressure of water vapor increases and its
present in the air capacity to hold
d. Relative Humidity (RH) the moisture
amount of water in the air. increases.
Using hygrometer in °F or ○ WARM AIR - Less
°C Dense; COLD AIR
- More Dense

Hot air is always above the

cold air

2. Moisture
Hygrometer
 ○ The amount
(mass) of moisture
present in air at a
given volume and
temperature is
termed the
absolute humidity
or moisture
content (Humidity
Ratio/ Relative
Humidity of the
Air)

Moisture
measured by
hygrometer

B. For Measuring Thermal Factors

1. Mean Radiant Temperature
(MRT)
2. Radiant Temperature (tr)
3. Plane Radiant Temperature
(tpr)
4. Radiant Temperature
Asymmetry (D tpr)
5. Operative Temperature

C. For Measuring Mean Radiant

Temperature
1. Globe Thermometer

TROPICAL DESIGN
PRELIMINARY
TROPICAL ARCHITECTURE
INTRODUCTION
● The revolution of the globe gives the
heartbeat a day and night which
regulates activities and response of
natural life.
● The tilted rotation of the earth around
the sun sets the rhythm of the
seasons, which call to life the
dormant vegetation and donate
bounty of harvest
○ Titled degrees of earth -
23.5 degrees
● Relative distance to equator
determines whether each locake is
warm or cool
● Sun-sets the pace for the patterns of
humidity and wind that sweep across
the earth.
● The physical environment is
blanketed by a vast ocean of air,
whose tides carry climatic elements
to all parts of the earth.
BASIC CONCEPT
WEATHER
● The set of atmospheric conditions
prevailing at a given plae and time
CLIMATE
● Define a region with certain
temperature, dryness, wind, light…
● An integration in time of the
atmospheric environment of a certain
geographical location.
● It plays a great part in the
composition of soils, but strongly
affects the character of plants and
animals in different regions and -
most important from our point of view
- man’s energy
Setting is impartial; all living species must
either adapt their physiology, through
selection or mutation to find defenses against
the impacts of the environment.
● The open nest secures insulating
qualities.
● Hanging nest utilizes the tensile
strength of fibers, or grasses, and
pendulum like it avoids the wind
forces.
● The nest, massively built from clay
and straw, prevents the intrusion of
direct sunlight and rain by its steep
entrance.
● The vertical mud and straw nest is
similar to the apartment dwellings,
where each opening is an individual
nest comprised of two chambers.
The first serves as the entrance
foyer, the second an egg laying and
hatching area.
● The mass of earth can effectively
relieve extreme temperature
differences and secures more stable
heat conditions.
The optimum climate conditions for
human progress (ellsworth
huntington)
● Average temperature ranges from
somewhat below 40 F in the coldest
months to nearly 70 F in the warmest
month
● Frequent storms or winds, to keep
the relative humidity quite high
except in hot weather, provide rain at
all seasons. -
● A constant succession of cyclonic
storms which bring frequent
moderate changes in temperature
but are not severe enough to be
harmful.
○ El nino - drought
○ La nina - too much water
○ Typhoon → balances
REGIONAL CLIMATES

ARCTIC
● Iceland, Greenland, Northern Russia
and China

COOL TEMPERATE
● N.W Europe, Canada and parts of
North America

WARM TEMPERATE
● Mediterranean Countries

TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL

● The Middle East, Northern India,
parts of Turkey.

EQUATORIAL
● Those countries lying just above or
below the equator, Southeast Asian
Countries, Central Africa and the
Amazon Basin in South America.

CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION

1. THORNTHWAITE’S SYSTEM
● Temperature efficiency and
precipitation effectiveness were
concepts contributed by climatologist
C. Warren Thornwaite
● 1948 classification introduced a
moisture index concept as a basis
for classification
● Development of a simple method for
the determination of potential
evapo-transpiration (importance on
evaporation and precipitation)
● More accurate than the Koppen
system
● Complex and lack of widespread use

2. THE KOPPEN SYSTEM

● most widely used for classifying the
world’s climate
● Introduced in 1900 by
Russian-German climatologist
Wladimir Koppen (1846-1940)
● Categories are based on the annual
and monthly averages of
temperature and precipitation
● Recognizes five major climatic types