ESPESO | MIDTERM EXAMINATION REVIEWER

 A building design approach that focuses on heat gain control and heat
dissipation in a building in order to improve the indoor thermal comfort
TROPICAL DESIGN
with low or minimal energy consumption
 Sunshading Devices
 Building Configuration, Site Layout and Site Planning - a building can be -Vertical Types
protected from direct sunlight by placing it on a location within the site Vertical sun shades are generally used on the east-facing and west-facing
that utilizes existing features such as trees, terrains, etc. sides of a building
 Building Orientation - In tropical countries such as the Philippines, it is
best to place service areas in the west and east facing sides of the
building because these sides are exposed to direct sunlight.
 Cross Ventilation - the circulation of fresh air through open windows,
doors, or other openings on opposite sides of a room.
 Stack Effect or Chimney Effect - the tendency of air or gas in a shaft or
other vertical space to rise when heated creating a draft that draws in
cooler air or gas from below
 Courtyard Effect - due to incident solar radiation in a courtyard, the air
gets warmer and rises
-Cool air from the ground level flows through the louvered openings of
rooms surrounding a courtyard, thus producing air flow.
-At night, the warm roof surfaces get cooled by convection and radiation.
 Passive Cooling - are least expensive means of cooling a home which
maximizes the efficiency of the building envelope without the use of any
mechanical devices.
-All passive cooling strategies rely on daily changes in temperature and
relative humidity
-The applicability of each system depends on the climatic conditions
 A cooling system using a building’s design and construction to maintain a
comfortable temperature within the building.
 Passive design is essentially low-energy design achieved by the building’s
particular morphological organization rather than electro-mechanical
means  Eggcrate Types - combination of horizontal and vertical shades
ESPESO | MIDTERM EXAMINATION REVIEWER

popular croton or San Francisco, or dramatic gabi plants. These plants can
also help cool the area and provide shade.
-trellis is also a key in controlling the influx of direct sunlight
 Play with Rain in Mind - rain is a part of tropical design. Six, 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 and
creating a storage for it.
 Make your Furniture and Accessories go Tropical Too - in more
contemporary tropical spaces, modern furniture pieces in indigenous
 Facade Design
materials by the likes of Kenneth Cobonpue (or other movement 8
-use of double layered facade
designers like Milo Naval and Ann Pamintuan) are such perfect homes
-use low-emissivity glass (low-e glass)
-use of insulation  Go for Wider Eaves - longer and wider eaves shield parts of the house
from the sun and rain
 High Ceilings are the Tropical Norm
-hot air rises, so a higher ceiling means that the hot air has space to  Be Culture Sensitive - culture of people is very important. Look at the
circulate and the space would be less humid and stuffy behavioral patterns of the ones who will be living in it, especially the
historical background of the family.
 Ventanillas - sliding panels located beneath windows in a traditional
Filipino home. It should still be utilized in cooling a home.  Create a Water Feature - water features do increase the temperature
especially when air passes through. Placing water features outside the
 Go natural - nature have simple colors -greens, browns, beige, and white -
window openings since evaporating water helps cool the air.
these are the colors that complement the environment
 Have an Outdoor Space - tropical homes always have a connection with
 Have a Steeper Pitch - allows rainwater to flow down faster, and creates a
the outdoors. The idea of bringing the outdoors is very Asian. It is good
larger void between roof surface and ceiling,
for the soul, calms the nerves, and heightens the senses.
-the air in this void circulated and cools the home. The recommended
pitch is 30 to45 degrees.  Utilize Passive Cooling - cooling the house without using artificial air
conditioning. This is the trademark or tropical homes and this means
 Bahay Kubo - is the model of a perfect tropical home. A modern tropical
having wider window openings and employing the next few techniques.
house may take off from its practical design. Materials may also be
substituted with more modern and durable ones available today.  Try a Clean and Minimalist Look - it can be as modern as you want, very
sleek, sparse, simple, uncluttered, and clean, yet still be perfectly tropical
 Bamboo - regarded as one of the most versatile and readily available
just by using the techniques of our vernacular heritage.
plants in the tropics, bamboo serves not only as a decorative plant, but is
also a sturdy building material surface finish  Cut Down Artificial Lighting in the Daytime - wide window openings
ensure proper lighting during the day.
 Landscape with Tropical Greenery - one of the trademarks of a tropical
home is the presence of plants inside and out.  Clay Roof Tiles - a clay tile roof or cement tile roof might be best. It’s the
-soft barriers in lieu of fences such as bamboo hedges, violet Ti plants, least thermally conductive and it lasts longer.
ESPESO | MIDTERM EXAMINATION REVIEWER

 Use Indigenous Materials - houses should be allowed to breathe.  Dry Climate (Arid) - with deficient precipitation during most of the year.
Materials used should also be allowed to breathe to dry up due to humid Potential losses of water from evaporation and transpiration greatly
environment. exceeded atmospheric input.
 High Ceilings are the Tropical Norm - hot air rises, so a higher ceiling  Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Mild Winters - summer temperatures
means that hot air has space to circulate and the space would be less are warm to hot and winters are mild. Coldest month has an average
humid and stuffy. temperature between 18 degree Celsius and negative 3 degree Celsius
 Have an Open Plan Layout - considering that most Filipino properties are  Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold Winters (Snow) - summer
small, the lesser walls, the better ventilation, and better communication temperatures are warm and winters are cold. The average temperature of
in terms of interaction. warmest month exceeds 10 degree Celsius and the average temperature
of coldest is below -3 degree Celsius
 Employ All Methods of Energy Efficiency - tropical homes are by nature
energy-efficient, as they do not need artificial air conditioning or lighting  Polar Climates (Polar) - with extremely cold winters and summers. Very
during the day. cold winters and summers, with no real summer season. The average
- a green roof is planted with ground cover over soil and other layers and temperature of the warmest month is below 10 degree Celsius
lowers interior temperatures
 Climate of the Philippines
 Tropical Moist Climates (equatorial)
The Climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime. It is characterized by
-all months have an average temperature above 18 degree Celsius (64 relatively high temperature, high humidity and abundant rainfall. It is similar in
degree Fahrenheit) many respects to the climate of the countries of Central America.
Temperature, humidity, and rainfall, which are discussed hereunder, are the
-very warm climates found in the tropics that experience high quantities most important elements of the country's weather and climate.
of precipitation
 Weather - the set of atmospheric conditions prevailing at a given place
and time  Temperature
-happening right now is likely to happen tomorrow or in the near future
- day to day temperature Based on the average of all weather stations in the Philippines, excluding
Baguio, the mean annual temperature is 26.6o C. The coolest months fall in
 Climate - the intergration in time of weather conditions, characteristics of January with a mean temperature of 25.5oC while the warmest month occurs
a certain geographical location in May with a mean temperature of 28.3oC. Latitude is an insignificant factor
-general weather conditions over a long period of time in the variation of temperature while altitude shows greater contrast in
-average weather is 30 years temperature. Thus, the mean annual temperature of Baguio with an elevation
of 1,500 meters is 18.3oC. This makes the temperature of Baguio comparable
 Cool Climate - maximize thermal retention, maximize radiant heat gain, with those in the temperate climate and because of this, it is known as the
and maximize wind resistance summer capital of the Philippines.
 Temperate Climate - moderate thermal retention, moderate radiant heat
gain, slight wind exposure, moderate internal airflow
ESPESO | MIDTERM EXAMINATION REVIEWER

The difference between the mean annual temperature of the southernmost subdivided further into (a) the cool dry season, from December to February;
station in Zamboanga and that of the northermost station in Laoag is and (b) the hot dry season, from March to May.
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.  Climate Types
Based on the distribution of rainfall, four climate types are recognized, which
 Humidity are described as follows:

Humidity refers to the moisture content of the atmosphere. Due to high

temperature and the surrounding bodies of water, the Philippines has a high Typhoons have a great influence on the climate and weather conditions of the
relative humidity. The average monthly relative humidty varies between 71 Philippines. A great portion of the rainfall, humidity and cloudiness are due to
percent in March and 85 percent in September. The combination of warm the influence of typhoons. They generally originate in the region of the
temperature and high relative and absolute humidities give rise to high Marianas and Caroline Islands of the Pacific Ocean which have the same
sensible temperature throughout the archipelago. It is especially latitudinal location as Mindanao. Their movements follow a northwesterly
uncomfortable during March to May, when temperature and humidity attain direction, sparing Mindanao from being directly hit by majorty of the typhoons
their maximum levels. that cross the country. This makes the southern Philippines very desirable for
agriculture and industrial development.

 Rainfall
Rainfall is the most important climatic element in the Philippines. Rainfall  Typhoon Yolanda - November 8, 2011. The deadliest typhoon to impact in
distribution throughout the country varies from one region to another, the Philippines in which 6,800 lives were lost from its storm surges and
powerful winds. Over 1000 went missing and nearly 20,000 were injured.
depending upon the direction of the moisture-bearing winds and the location
of the mountain systems.  PAGASA - Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services
Administration

The mean annual rainfall of the Philippines varies from 965 to 4,064  Signal No 1 - 30-60km/h expected in 36 hours on 1st issuance
millimeters annually. Baguio City, eastern Samar, and eastern Surigao receive  Signal No 2 - 60-120km/h expected in 24 hours on 1st issuance
the greatest amount of rainfall while the southern portion of Cotabato
receives the least amount of rain. At General Santos City in Cotabato, the  Signal No 3 - 120-170km/h expected in 18 hours on 1st issuance
average annual rainfall is only 978 millimeters.  Signal No 4 - 170-220km/h expected in 12 hours on 1st issuance
 Signal No 5 - more than 220 km/h expected in 12 hours on 1st issuance
 The Seasons  Tropical Depression - have maximum sustained winds of between 30
Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the climate of the country can be kilometers per hour
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
ESPESO | MIDTERM EXAMINATION REVIEWER

 Tropical Storms - have maximum sustained winds of 61 kilometers per  External Shading - overhangs, canopies, light shelves, fixed and movable
hour and 88 kilometers per hour louvres, shutters, vertical fins, deep window reveals, egg-crate baffles,
and roller blinds.
 Severe Tropical Storms - have maximum sustained winds of 89 kilometers
per hour and 117 kilometers per hour  Functions - can be located within a building to coincide with solar gain
benefit or liability.
 Typhoons - achieve maximum sustained winds of 118 kilometers per hour
to 218 kilometers per hour  Each project should be evaluated depending on its relative cooling needs:
- extend the overhang beyond the sides of the window to prevent solar
 Super Typhoons - achieve maximum sustained winds of more than 220 gain from the side
kilometers per hour - use slatted or louvred shades to allow more daylight to enter while
 Type I - two pronounced season, dry from November and wet during the shading windows from direct sunlight
rest of the year. Maximum rain period is from June to September. - reduce solar heat gain by recessing windows into the walls.

 Type II - no dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period from  List of Sun Shading Devices
December to February. There is no single dry month. Minimum monthly - overhangs and canopies
rainfall occurs during the period from March to May. - continental shutters and awnings
- light shelves
 Type III - no very pronounced maximum rain period with a dry season - fixed and movable louvres
lasting only from one to three months, either during the period from - egg-crate louvres
December to February or from March to May. This type resembles type I - external roller blinds
since it has a short dry season. - brise soleil
 Type IV - rainfall is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year.  Celestial Sphere - imaginary sphere of large radius concentric with the
This type resembles type II since it has no dry season. Earth
 In the Philippines, hot humid conditions require protection from heat and  Yule - marks the first day of the season of winter which usually falls on or
maximum ventilation for interiors, therefore, local designs should firmly near December 21
consider these issues.
 Tilt Low Sun - the time in December when the sun reaches its
 Good building orientation must be looked into by architects to minimize Southernmost latitude and therefore appear at its lowest in the sky at
direct solar radiation but maximize potential for natural ventilation. noon. It is also considered as the shortest day.
 Types of Solar Shading Solutions  Cooler Season (Winter Solstice) - the North Pole leans away from the sun.
-External shading
-Internal shading  Solar Latitude - measuring the sun’s latitude
-Alternative glazing  Size Windows - should be in accordance with use and orientation
 Solar Altitude Angle - it is also called as solar elevation angle. It describes  Solar Altitude Angle - the angle with height above the horizon from 0 to
how high the sun appears in the sky. 90 degrees
ESPESO | MIDTERM EXAMINATION REVIEWER

 Two Methods for Calculating Solar Angles

- Graph
 Cool Dry Season - December to February
- Mathematical calculation
 Hot Dry Season - March to May
 Solar Chart - sun path diagrams, different locations have different solar
charts
 Bring cool air into the basement at night and use daytime for cooling
rooms. To suck out the cool air from the basement, you need small pipe
fans. This is the place where we need a little amount of electricity.
 The sun moves across the sky at a rate of 15.04 degrees per hour
 The earth’s polar axis is inclined at 23 degrees and 47 minutes from the
vertical axis
 June 21 is considered as the longest day, summer solstice
 December 21 is considered as the shortest day, winter solstice
 March 21 and September 21 are equinoxes
 Landscaping and Sun Screens - can be used to shade building surfaces
especially windows during overheated hours
 Buildings can be located in groups to shade one another
 Latin word SOL means SUN
 Latin word SISTERE means STAND STILL
 SOLSTICE means standing still of the sun
 Choose low thermal conductive materials for the building envelope
 Atmospheric Pressure - pressure exerted by the weight of air in the
atmosphere of the Earth
MONTH DEC - FEB MAR - MAY JUNE - AUG SEPT - NOV

RAINFALL DRY RAINY

TEMPERATURE COOL HOT

SEASON COOL DRY HOT DRY RAINY

ESPESO | MIDTERM EXAMINATION REVIEWER