Residential Space in a Tropical Countries

Definition:
 Tropical architecture is the 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.
 Residential Space in a tropical country helps regulate indoor temperature.
 The goal of tropical architecture is to achieve thermal comfort through the use of passive
design elements. These houses would then be designed with sunshades, overhangs, cavity
walls, and light shelves in order to block the sun. Roof and wall insulation would also be
installed as added protection.
 A tropical modern house typically has a contemporary look or style but uses
tropical architecture strategies.

Location: South-facing slope.

Features:

here are some examples, ideas, principles and characteristics you can consider when
designing your tropical modern house.

1. Pitched Lightweight Roofs With Deep Overhangs

Flat concrete roofs are usually the go-to option for any self-respecting modern home.

However, these can be a significant source of heat gain in the tropics unless adequately
insulated. Concrete roofs will slowly heat up during the day and release the heat into the
home at night.

Pitched Roof

A lightweight roof, such as timber framing with metal cladding, will cool a lot faster.
Pitched roofs will also shed water off much faster.

This issue is a problem that flat concrete roofs often have in the tropics unless they
have a proper slope and are weathertight.

Some traditional waterproofing systems for flat roofs can also have a below-average
performance because of the heat and UV exposure in the tropics.

Roof Overhangs
Large roof overhangs help keep the rain away from window and door openings. In
addition, these overhangs also assist with shading walls and openings from direct
sunlight. This method is most suitable for north and south-facing walls.

Flat Roofs

Reinforced concrete flat roofs do have some benefits. They offer excellent protection
against strong weather systems like hurricanes.

In addition, they are not susceptible to termites and other similar pests, unlike timber-
framed roofs.

They can also offer additional outdoor spaces like roof decks, and it is easier to facilitate
vertical expansion in the future.

Therefore, I believe your tropical modern house could benefit from a combination of
lightweight sloping and flat concrete roofs.

2. Timber Screens Or Brise Soleil For Shading

Large expanses of glass are the hallmark of modern architecture. This glass allows tons
of natural light into your home.

Having sunlight enter large portions of glazing is good in temperate countries during
winter. The sunlight can enter the home, warm up the spaces, and thermal mass
materials like concrete floors. That heat re-enters back into the room at night, reducing
the need for mechanical heating.

However, sizeable unshaded glass in the tropics is not cool, literally.

The heat passes through the glass and heats internal surfaces. It then builds up on the
inside, creating a greenhouse effect.

Large, glazed windows and doors that open the entire wall are popular and valuable.
However, these openings should have some shading strategy.
Timber screens or brise soleil are great ways to provide shade from direct sunlight. In
addition, they allow indirect light as well as natural breezes to pass through.

Timber Screens

Using vertical timber screens or a brise soleil is a popular shading strategy in tropical
modern homes. This strategy is ideal on east and west walls but is also popular in other
locations.
Timber screens come in various styles. They include slatted, louvred or latticed. Also,
screens can be fixed or moveable like bi-fold, swinging or sliding.
Brise Soleil

Using a brick brise soleil is popular in South and Southeast Asian countries like India,
Vietnam and Indonesia.

The clay and bricks often come from regional sources. However, a brise soleil made
from concrete blocks, wood or even metal is not uncommon.

3. Maximise Operable Windows And Doors To Outdoor Spaces

Human beings have a natural love for the outdoors. Nature has a positive impact on
human emotions. Many tropical countries can boast of an idyllic environment, which
creates the opportunity for usable outdoor spaces.

Photo: Hiroyuki Oki | Thang House | VTN Architects

Outdoor Spaces

Open plan living/dining areas or bedrooms can flow out to exterior terraces, patios and
courtyards, creating a greater sense of wide-open spaces common in modern homes.
Hence, they are great for your tropical modern home as well.
Openings and outdoors spaces should try to look out for views of nature. These could
be to a private garden or a scenic view.
Courtyards are also a great way to inject some nature into the middle of your home.

Natural Ventilation and Light

Adding a lot of operable windows and doors can also be a way to allow air to pass
through your home.
Natural ventilation is a crucial part of a tropical modern home. It ensures that you and
your family are cool without the need for air conditioning.
Large openings in multiple walls will help promote air movement.

Courtyards can also be beneficial for bringing additional natural light to the interior
spaces of your home. They also encourage more natural ventilation.

4. Blend Natural Materials With A Minimalist Aesthetic

One of the main characteristics of modern architecture is its minimalist aesthetic. It

avoids any unnecessary clutter or busy decorative elements. In addition, they often
consist of plain white walls or unfinished concrete.

Tropical modern architecture also follows this principle, but it blends it with the use of
natural materials.
Natural Materials

Materials such as stone, terracotta clay and natural timber complement its white walls.
This combination adds a lot of warmth to a tropical modern interior and exterior.

These materials not only add warm, natural tones but also introduces texture to your
home.

Stair treads, railings, screens, doors, ceilings and feature walls often use wood, stone or
terracotta clay.

Furniture, as well as some furnishings, use natural materials as well.

Tables, chairs, beds and other furniture tend to be made of wood. Other plant-based
materials like bamboo or rattan are also popular in some regions.

Sustainability

Another benefit of adding natural material is its sustainability.

Natural materials like stone, wood and clay are more sustainable.

Typically, these materials come from local or regional sources as well. Hence, reducing
the environmental impacts of transportation.

Colour

Do not be afraid to add a pop of colour to your home. It is not uncommon to see accent
colours in tropical modern architecture.

Many cultures in tropical regions are familiar with colour. Vibrant colours form part of
carnivals in the Caribbean and South America and the festivals of Indian and Southeast
Asian cultures.

Adding colour to your tropical home can serve as a cultural reference to its region.

5. Open Plan And High Ceilings

A wide, open-plan arrangement is another characteristic of a tropical modern home.

Open spaces with high ceilings can make rooms feel larger. This effect is even more
remarkable when these rooms open out to outdoor spaces with large openings.

However, open plans and high ceilings also have climatic benefits in the tropics.

Open Plan
Passive ventilation strategies work best when there are little to no obstructions in the
wind’s path. Hence, open-plan homes allow breezes to flow further inside the house.
It also lets natural light penetrate deeper into your rooms.

High Ceilings

Hot air rises. Therefore, high ceilings help keep the warm air away from the lower levels
you occupy.

Conclusion

Blending the clean-line aesthetic of modern architecture with the functionality of tropical
architecture can create a stunning, high-performance home. With its wide-open spaces
and passive ventilation strategies, a tropical modern house can be an excellent fit for
your project.

Using the principles necessary for designing a house in a tropical climate does not have
to translate into traditional forms and aesthetics. It can reflect a style and quality that is
indicative of the technology and characteristics of the time.
HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE
The history and culture of the Philippines are reflected in its architectural heritage, in the
dwellings of its various peoples, in churches and mosques, and in the buildings that have
risen in response to the demands of progress and the aspirations of the people.
Architecture in the Philippines today is the result of a natural growth enriched with the
absorption of varied influences. It developed from the pre-colonial influences of our
neighboring Malay brothers, continuing on to the Spanish colonial period, the American
Commonwealth period, and the modern contemporary times. As a result, the Philippines
has become an architectural melting pot– uniquely Filipino with a tinge of the occidental.
The late national hero for architecture, Leandro Locsin once said, that Philippine
Architecture is an elusive thing, because while it makes full use of modern technology, it is a
residue of the different overlays of foreign influences left in the Philippines over the
centuries: the early Malay culture and vestiges of earlier Hindu influences, the more than
300 years of Spanish domination, the almost 50 years of American rule, the Arab and
Chinese influences through commerce and trade over the centuries. What resulted may
have been a hybrid, a totally new configuration which may include a remembrance of the
past, but transformed or framed in terms of its significance today.
The Philippine’s architectural landscape is a contrast among small traditional huts built of
wood, bamboo, nipa, grass, and other native materials; the massive Spanish colonial
churches, convents and fortifications, with their heavy “earthquake baroque” style; the
American mission style architecture as well as the buildings of commerce with their modern
20th century styles; and today’s contemporary, albeit “modern mundane” concrete
structures of the cities.
Construction of rural native huts has changed little in the centuries. Design vary by region,
but common features include steep roof over a one-or-two room living area raised on posts
or stilts one to two meters above the ground or over shallow water. Some huts have
balconies. Floors may be of split bamboo to allow dirt and food scraps to fall through to pigs
and poultry. The space beneath the hut may be used for storage or as a workshop; it also
allows air to circulate andsafeguards against flooding, snakes, and insects. As families
become more affluent, they frequently replace the thatch roof with galvanized iron which
lasts longer but makes the house hotter and aesthetically more mundane. The bahay-
kubo (nipa hut) is a typical traditional house found in most lowlands all over the Philippines.
Originally built as a one-room dwelling, the nipa hut changed as family needs become more
diverse.Modern urban dwellings, on the other hand, are typically two-story structures with a
concrete ground floor, sides of brick, concrete blocks, or wooden slats, and an iron roof.
During the 19th century, wealthy Filipinos built some fine houses, usually with solid stone
foundations or brick lower walls, and overhanging, wooden upper story with balustrades
and kapis shell sliding windows, and a tiled roof.
The Rizal house in Calamba, Laguna and the Luna house in Badoc, Ilocos Norte are good
examples. Vigan, Ilocos Sur as well as Taal in Batangas have the best surviving Spanish
quarters. The city of Manila, Ilo-ilo and Cebu also have some notable old houses. Other
areas of the country present different forms of tribal architecture as compared to the low-
land bahay kubo which is influenced greatly by culture, and in some cases, climate and the
environment. In the upland regions of the Cordillera Mountains, the houses, though still
using native materials, is a bit more secured. Where the low-land bahay kubo is ventilated
on all sides, the mountain huts, Bontoc, fayu; Ifugao, bale; Kalinga, binayon; Kankanay,
binangiyan, and others typify a more insulated dwelling. The Maranao torogan, on the other
hand, is designed for royalty and thus built with much ornamentation and elaborate details.
Being an isolated and wind-frequented area, the Batanes Islands, exhibit the most different
of all traditional architecture in the Philippines. The Ivatan`s rakuh is built solidly on all sides,
made of a meter thick rubble work covered by thick thatch roofing to withstand gales which
frequent the area.
The arrival of the Spaniards in 1571 brought in Antillian architecture. Though not specifically
suited for the hot tropics, European architecture was transposed via Acapulco, Mexico into
a uniquely Filipino style. The style traces its roots from the Antilles, in Central America
rather than from mother Spain. The Christianization of the islands created the need to
establish religious structures to support the growing number of religious organizations.
Though they don’t compare with those seen in Europe or in Latin America, Philippine
colonial churches are unique in their own sense. Some of the best preserved colonial
churches in the country are found in the Ilocos Regions, as well as those in the provinces of
Laguna and Batangas, as well as the Visayan islands of Panay, Cebu and Bohol. These
colonial churches were typically designed by anonymous friar-architects and built between
1600 and 1750. Most were initially constructed with bamboo and nipa, but the friars realized
that to instill a sense of awe, as well as to caution against the terrible menace of fire and
earthquake, more grandiose buildings had to be erected. In spite of technical and material
limitations, they managed to erect massive structures that often took years, even decades
to complete, that have survived to the present.
In time, the friars’ task was taken over by Filipino and Chinese master-builders. These
craftsmen have sometimes left their native stamp in the decorative motifs: tropical
vegetation by Filipinos, lions and dragons by Chinese. The churches were built with an
adjacent convento (priest house and office: also served as school, tribunal, prison and
evacuation house during calamities), attached or detached belfry (as seen in the Ilocos
Region where the belfry was built a couple of meters away from the church structure, this to
anticipate a collapse of the belfry in times of earthquake) and walled forecourt. The large
three-story belfry, affording a good view of the surrounding land and sea, were used as
watchtowers for approaching enemies. Individual churches vary in the amount and style of
their interior and exterior decoration. Many have an ornately carved facade and reredos,
backdrop of the altar). Today, some churches are in their original form, while others have
been spoiled by tasteless renovation. Many churches are the result of successive
restoration and renovation projects which superimposes on earlier foundations. The
Spanish colonial period also brought with it military architecture as seen in the fortifications
they built all over the archipelago. Foremost of which isIntramuros in
Manila. Intramuros which literally means within the walls, is a defensive network composed
of raveling and bulwarks to protect the Spanish city from attack. It also contains the
foremost military outpost during the Spanish reign, Fort Santiago named after Spain’s
patron saint.
Commercial structures which developed only during the latter part of the Spanish period
evolved primarily from the typical Filipino noble house or the Bahay na Bato. The Bahay na
Bato is a derivation of the traditional Bahay Kubo with more sturdier materials as the main
form of construction. Using the same spatial arrangements of the Bahay kubo, the Bahay
na Bato continued the principle of open ventilation and elevated apartments as that of its
predecessor. The only difference being that the Bahay na Bato, which translates as Stone
House, is made in most cases of stone instead of the more traditional bamboo. Other
versions of the Bahay na Bato would be constructed of a stone- or brick-supported lower
level and a hard wooden upper level covered by tiles or in later cases galvanized iron. The
window of the house is unique in architecture for it opens not just from mid-level but from
floor to ceiling. This enables tropical wind to circulate freely into the structure enabling the
house to be ventilated tropically. The upper level, or the piano noble of the house contains
the most luxuriously furnished apartments, this level overhangs the ground level which
contains mostly storage and carriage depots.
Other structures developed during the Spanish Period were schools and hospitals (Ateneo
Municipal, University of Santo Tomas, Colegio de Letran, Hospital de San Juan de Dios).
Though most often attached to the church, these structures eventually developed into their
own following the tropical baroque style of architecture popular at the time.
The Philippine Revolution of 1887 led to the declaration of independence from Spain. This,
on the other hand, was superceded by the transfer of power from Spain to the United States
as part of the settlement entered by the Kingdom of Spain with the United States after the
Spanish-American war. The Americans came to the islands in 1898. With the arrival of the
Americans came a new breed of architectural structures. Foremost of the American
contributions to the country was the establishment of civil government. This led to the
erection of government buildings from the city all the way to the municipal level.
Government houses dotted every community. Designed in the most respectable manner,
these government houses resembled Greek or roman temples complete with porticoes and
pediments.
The revival period, popular at the turn of the century, became the foremost architectural
parlance of the era as seen in such buildings as the Government Post Office Building as
well as the Legislative House. Education of the masses also became the thrust of the
American regime, as such, public education was established, foremost of which is
the University of the Philippines. With American rule firmly established in the islands, the
military government at the time invited the noted Chicago architect and town planner Daniel
Burnham to develop the city of Manila and found a summer capital in the area
of Baguio. Burnham’s arrival led to the formation of the Burnham Plan which identifies the
city of Manila as a uniquely European city in the tropics and as such opposed to develop its
architecture in line with the existing style. The style of architecture, as suggested, varies
little from existing architecture at the time as typified by The Manila Hotel. New structures
continued the use of conventional motifs but were made of more durable materials such as
concrete. This style of architecture prevailed even after the turn of the century.
The eclectic style, a mixture of historic styles, also found its way in some of the commercial
establishments rising in the business district such as the Regina Building along
historic Escolta. The emergence of Art Nouveaualso gave some samples in the central
business districts (Uy-Chaco Building along Calle Rosario and Plaza Cervantes)as well as
in stately homes of the well to do (Casa de Ariston Bautista in Calle Barbosa, Quiapo). By
the mid 20`s to the eve of the second world war, Art Deco became the bi-word for Philippine
Architecture with works such as the Metropolitan Theatre along Plaza Aroceros, Perez-
Samanillo Building, Crystal Arcade and Capitol theatre along Escolta, State and Avenue
Theatre along Avenida Rizal, Lide and Times Theatre along Quezon Boulevard and others.
The aftermath of the second world war left nothing but destruction in its wake, and a time of
rebuilding ensued. The modern era dawned on Philippine architecture using the simple
straight lines of the International Modern Style as a chief mode of expression. By the 70`s a
new form of Philippine architecture emerged with the filipinization of architecture.
The Filipino style found its way in the re-emergence of traditional motifs,the bahay-
kubo and the bahay na bato became popular forms to be copied and modernized (Batasan
Pambansa, BLISS Housing projects). By the 80`s the country’s architectural idiom was
swept by the tide of Post Modernism, a hearkening back of some sort to the romance of
classical architecture. Today, architecture in the Philippines continue to be vibrant and with
the country opening up to the world, more first rate architecture is pouring in.