TROPICAL DESIGN

Passive design
considerations
MAIN CONSIDERATIONS
1. Orientation
2. Ventilation
3. Landscaping
4. Thermal Mass
5. Insulation
6. Windows
7. Natural lighting
1. ORIENTATION
Orientation concerns the position of the
building on the site as well as the
arrangement of the rooms within it.
ORIENTATION
▪ There are two main goals to
consider when considering the
building orientation:
▪ Orientation for minimal
solar heat gain.
▪ Orientation for maximum air
flow.
Sun charts illustrating the variation in the sun’s movement in relation to latitude.
 SUN PATH
DIAGRAMS
 Azimuth Lines - Azimuth angles run around the
edge of the diagram.
 Altitude Lines - Altitude angles are represented
as concentric circular dotted lines that run from
the center of the diagram out.
 Date Lines - Date lines start on the eastern side
of the graph and run to the western side and
represent the path of the sun on one particular
day of the year.
 Hour Lines/Analemma - Hour lines are shown
as figure-eight-type lines that intersect the date
lines and represent the position of the sun at a
specific hour of the day.
SUN PATH
DIAGRAMS
Azimuth Lines - Azimuth angles run around the
edge of the diagram.
Altitude Lines - Altitude angles are represented
as concentric circular dotted lines that run from
the center of the diagram out.
Date Lines - Date lines start on the eastern side
of the graph and run to the western side and
represent the path of the sun on one particular
day of the year.
Hour Lines/Analemma - Hour lines are shown
as figure-eight-type lines that intersect the date
lines and represent the position of the sun at a
specific hour of the day.
SUN PATH
DIAGRAMS
How to read sun path diagrams:
 SUN PATH
DIAGRAMS
How
How to read
to read sunsun path
path diagrams:
diagrams:
At 9:00AM,
At 9:00AM,
SUN PATH
DIAGRAMS
How to read sun path diagrams:

At 9:00AM,

On April 1,
SUN PATH
DIAGRAMS
How to read sun path diagrams:

At 9:00AM,

On April 1,

the azimuth is 62 degrees, and

SUN PATH
DIAGRAMS
How to read sun path diagrams:

At 9:00AM,

On April 1,

the azimuth is 62 degrees, and

the altitude is 30 degrees.

ORIENTATION FOR MIN. HEAT
GAIN
▪ Generally, the best approach is to design so
that all walls are shaded from the sun all year
round.
▪ It may be desirable to admit some northern sun
especially during the cool months (October-
March). This can be done by planning the
width of eaves and awnings.
ORIENTATION FOR MAX. AIR
FLOW
▪ In the Philippines, the prevailing winds are
north-easterly from October-March and
south-westerly from April-September. The
building design must take advantage of this.
▪ The lack of breeze during the hottest days can
pose challenges for achieving effective natural
ventilation. Designing to encourage
convection flow is very effective at these
times.
The rule of convection
Warm air rises, cool air sinks.