CLIMATIC

CONDITIONS OF
INDIA
INTRODUCTION
India is divided six climatic zones.
 Hot and Dry.
 Warm and Humid.
 Moderate.
 Cold and Cloudy.
 Cold and Sunny.
 Composite.
Himachal Pradesh. Shimla

Shillong. Shri Nagar.

Mahabaleshwar
 Characteristics of Cold and Cloudy
Climate:-

 The northern part of India experiences this type of

climate.
 Most cold and cloudy regions are situated at high
altitudes.
 OOCTACAMUND, Shimla, Shillong, Srinagar and
Mahabaleshwar are examples of places belonging
to this climatic zone.
 These are generally highland regions having
abundant vegetation in summer.
 The relative humidity is generally high and ranges
from 70 – 80 %.
 Annual total precipitation is about 1000 mm and is
disturbed evenly throughout the year.
 The main criteria for design in the cold and cloudy
region aim at resisting heat loss by insulation and
infiltration, and promoting heat gain by directly
admitting and trapping solar radiation within the
living space.
 The Area of the cold zones is 60-90 degrees North
and South Latitude.
 The Sun Path is 53° above the horizon (polar day)
to under the horizon (polar night).
 Average Temperature is about (-47 to 0°C).
 Characteristics in Building:-
 Windows should face south to facilitate direct gain.
 The north side of the building should be well
insulated.
 Living area can be located on southern side while
utility area such as stores can be on northern side.
 Air lock lobbies at the entrance and exit points of the
building reduce heat loss.
 Surface area to volume ratio of a building should be
low to avoid unwanted heat loss (approaching a cube
or a hemisphere).
 For cold climates, orientation slightly east of south is
favoured (especially 15° east of south), exposing the
unit to morning and afternoon sun and enabling the
building to heat during the day.
 Low ceiling provide insulation and conserve the
warmth. Windows Face the sun.

DESIGNING AND PLANNING OF BUILDING:-

Design strategies for cold and cloudy climate:

 The main criteria while designing are its built form,

orientations, wall area, window area, thermal
insulation, and thermal mass.
 Thermal strategies are to maximize warming effects
of solar radiation and to reduce impact of winter
wind.
 Building Orientation:-

 Long east-west plan arrangements increase winter

sun-facing skin available to collect radiation.
Generally, building oriented along an east-west axis
is more efficient for both winter and summer cooling.
 This orientation allows for maximum solar glazing
(windows) to the south for solar capture for heating.
 This orientation is also advantageous for summer
cooling conditions since it minimizes east-exposure
to morning and afternoon summer sun light.
 Rock beds are a means of enlarging the thermal mass
of the building and thereby increasing the ability to
store energy.
 Air is drawn from the sunspace and through bed of
rocks and Heat is given off to the rocks and air is re-
circulated to a location in the hot space to collect
more heat.
 At night when heat is needed, air from the occupied
space is drawn through the rock bed, where it picks
up heat and distributed back to the occupied space.
 The rock bed can be located under a concrete slab
that will be heated by bed.
 Windows and glass type for winter solar
gain

 In passively solar-heated buildings, low U-factors

are important in reduces winter heat loss from large
solar collecting glazing areas and in retaining heat
collected during the day for use at night.

Glazing on South Side.