BUILDING 101: 25 TIPS FOR A TROPICAL

VINCENT
JOVEN MARTIN
IGNACIO PINPIN
Professor, JOEL PAUL architect/designer,
Tropical Design MUÑOZ
VMBP
Architecturals,
JOHN
College of Architect, lecturer, Asian PANGILINAN
Architecture Leandro V. Vernacular runs his own
UP-Diliman Locsin and Architecture architectural
Partners ADMU company

RESOURCE PERSONS
 1

A TROPICAL HOUSE BELONGS IN A TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT

Tropical design responds and addresses

the climatic requirements of the tropics.
 2

CREATE A CONTEMPORARY BAHAY KUBO

Bahay kubo is the model of a perfect tropical home.

A modern tropical house may take off from its practical design.
Materials may also be substituted with more modern and
durable ones available today.
 3

BE CULTURE-SENSITIVE

Culture of a people is very important…

look at the behavioral patterns of the ones who will be living in it,
the historical background of the family.
 4

PLAN WITH RAIN IN MIND

Rain is a part of tropical design…

Six, or even seven or eight months of rain that has to be incorporated into
design, and use it for sustainable purposes.
Using rain water for watering the plants, creating storage for it.
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DO PROPER SOLAR ORIENTATION

The proper siting of the structure [lessens] the radiant heat…

and encourages natural airflow into the space.

Orienting the structure on the north-south axis [where] wall openings face it
and keeping the east-west facing walls closed (where the sun rises and sets)
ensures that [harsh] sunlight will not enter the space.
 6

DISCOVER THE BEAUTY OF BRISE-SOLEIL

Means “sun shades,” exterior architectural elements made out of wood or
metal placed over window openings.

Basically, [it] blocks out the sun’s rays and helps lower temperatures.
 7

GO FOR WIDER EAVES

Longer and wider eaves shield parts of the house from sun and rain.
 8

HAVE A STEEPER PITCH

Allows rainwater to flow down faster, and creates a larger void between roof
surface and ceiling.

The air [in this void] circulates, and cools the home.
The recommended pitch is 30 to 45 degrees.
 9

CHOOSE LOW-THERMAL CONDUCTIVE MATERIALS

FOR THE BUILDING ENVELOPE
 10

CLAY ROOF TILES

A clay tile roof or cement tile roof might be best.

It’s the least thermally conductive and it lasts longer.

 11

HAVE AN OPEN PLAN LAYOUT

Considering that most Filipino properties are small, the lesser walls, the better
the ventilation, and better communication in terms of interaction.

You can actually open everything.

 12

UTILIZE PASSIVE COOLING

Cooling the house without using artificial air conditioning.

This is the trademark of a tropical home, and this means having

wide window openings, and employing the next few techniques.
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HIGH CEILINGS ARE THE TROPICAL NORM

Hot air rises,

so a higher ceiling means that hot air has space to circulate, and the
space would be less humid and stuffy.
 14

BRING BACK VENTANILLAS

Ventanillas (sliding panels located beneath windows in a traditional

Filipino home) should still be utilized in cooling a home.
 15

HAVE AN OUTDOOR SPACE

Tropical homes always have a connection with the outdoors.

The idea of bringing the outdoors in is very Asian.

It is good for the soul, calms the nerves, heightens the senses.
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16. EMPLOY ALL METHODS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

Tropical homes are by nature energy-efficient, as they do not need

artificial air conditioning or lighting during the day.

A ‘green’ roof is planted with ground cover over soil

and other layers, and lowers interior temperatures.
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CUT DOWN ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING IN THE DAYTIME

Wide window openings ensure proper lighting during the day.

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MAKE IT A MONOCHROME PALETTE & LIGHT, REFLECTIVE COLORS

A monochromatic color scheme brightens the space,

gives the illusion of it being bigger than it actually is and cool to the senses.
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GO NATURAL

Nature have simple colors—greens, browns, beige, whites.

Colors that complement the environment.

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USE INDIGENOUS MATERIALS

Houses should be allowed to breathe.

Materials used should also be allowed to breathe,
to dry up due to humid environment.
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MAKE YOUR FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES GO TROPICAL, TOO

In more contemporary tropical spaces, modern furniture pieces in indigenous

materials by the likes of Kenneth Cobonpue (or other Movement 8 designers like
Milo Naval and Ann Pamintuan) are perfect in such homes.
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TRY A CLEAN, MINIMALIST LOOK

It can be as modern as you want, very sleek, sparse, simple,

uncluttered, and clean, yet still be perfectly tropical just by using the
techniques of our vernacular heritage.
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LANDSCAPE WITH TROPICAL GREENERY

One of the trademarks of a tropical home is the presence of plants, inside and out.

Soft barriers (in lieu of fences) such as bamboo hedges, violet Ti plants,
popular croton or San Francisco, or dramatic gabi plants.
These plants can also help cool the area, and provide shade.

Trellis is also key in controlling the influx of direct sunlight.

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CREATE A WATER FEATURE

Water features (such as ponds, pools, fountains, waterfalls) do

decrease the temperature, especially when air passes through.

Placing water features outside window openings since “evaporating

water helps cool the air.”
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BAMBOO IS THE BEST

Regarded as one of the most versatile (and readily-available) plants

in the tropics, bamboo serves not only as a decorative plant,
but also as a sturdy building material or surface finish.