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Climatology and Built Environment: Climate and Design of Buildings

This document discusses design strategies for buildings in hot humid climates. It recommends designing for cross ventilation with windows opposite each other and a long, narrow floor plan. Other tips include having open floor plans with high ceilings to maximize air flow, using window types that allow for airflow, elevating the house to catch breezes, and ensuring landscaping and building placement does not block winds. Materials with heat storage capacity are not beneficial, and the document recommends orienting houses east-west and using shading, light colors, and reflective materials to minimize heat gain.

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103 views6 pages

Climatology and Built Environment: Climate and Design of Buildings

This document discusses design strategies for buildings in hot humid climates. It recommends designing for cross ventilation with windows opposite each other and a long, narrow floor plan. Other tips include having open floor plans with high ceilings to maximize air flow, using window types that allow for airflow, elevating the house to catch breezes, and ensuring landscaping and building placement does not block winds. Materials with heat storage capacity are not beneficial, and the document recommends orienting houses east-west and using shading, light colors, and reflective materials to minimize heat gain.

Uploaded by

rekha vivek
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CLIMATOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

UNIT V
CLIMATE AND DESIGN OF BUILDINGS

Design strategies in warm humid climates, hot humid climates,


hot and dry climates and cold climates – Climate responsive
design exercises
CLIMATE AND DESIGN OF BUILDINGS
Design for the hot humid climate:
• The humidity is high and air movement is crucial, to help perspiration to
evaporate.
We need: -
• Windows opposite each other to allow cross-ventilation;

• Long, narrow floor-plan in sleeping zone, to maximize through ventilation in


bedrooms;

• Open-plan living areas with high ceilings, to maximize air movement and reduce
radiant heat to occupants (see our example house plan

• Choose window type for good airflow eg., louvres rather than awning/hopper
windows;
CLIMATE AND DESIGN OF BUILDINGS
• Elevate house to catch the breezes (in areas prone to tropical cyclones,
there is a trade-off - construction cost increases);

• Boundary fences should not block airflow (a low cyclone-wire fence is


preferable to a high brick wall;

• Make sure that your garden layout hasn't blocked the summer breezes;

• In a new subdivision, the spacing of buildings should be carefully


considered to avoid obstruction of the wind;

• Air movement means that mosquitoes and sandflies will be less likely to
linger around the house - they prefer still air.
CLIMATE AND DESIGN OF BUILDINGS
Because the night-to-day temperature swing is rather small:
• Materials with heat-storage capacity such as bricks and concrete are of
little benefit, particularly for bedrooms - a lighter house construction
(timber, fibro) will cool quicker at night;
Because the climate is warm all year, building heat gain should be
minimised by:
• Orienting the long axis of the house east-west (if you cannot orient for
cross-ventilation). The long north- and south-facing walls can easily be
shaded by the eaves;
• Keeping windows on east and west walls to a minimum;
• Shading the walls and windows - use shutters, verandahs, canopies
and/or eaves and fixed overhangs;
• Using pale colours for walls and roof, to reflect the heat of the sun;
CLIMATE AND DESIGN OF BUILDINGS
• Reflective foil insulation is good, because it reflects incoming sunshine,
but bulk insulation is not desirable, because it prevents the house
cooling down at night;
• Ventilation of the roof space, to reduce heat build-up there: the
increased heat loss in the cooler season is not important;
• Metal roofs which cool rapidly at night. Daytime heat gain can be
minimised by using sheeting with a reflective coating on its underside.

Because of the warm climate:


• Outdoor living areas (verandahs or under an elevated house) will be
particularly useful. Shelter from the rain is needed in summer; shade is
also desirable.
CLIMATE AND DESIGN OF BUILDINGS
• If you decide to air-condition some or part of your house:
• The air-conditioned part of your house needs bulk insulation;
• Drafts should be blocked in this section;
• Double-glazed windows may also be cost-effective

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