Arid

Arid environments are extremely diverse in terms of their land forms, soils, fauna, flora, water
balances, and human activities. Because of this diversity, no practical definition of arid
environments can be derived. However, the one binding element to all arid regions is aridity.
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Three arid zones can be delineated by this index: namely, hyper-arid, arid and semi-arid. Of the
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total land area of the world, the hyper-arid zone covers 4.2 percent, the arid zone 14.6 percent,
and the semiarid zone 12.2 percent. Therefore, almost one-third of the total area of the world is
arid land.

CAUSES:

Aridity results from the presence of dry, descending air. Therefore, aridity is found mostly in
places where anticyclonic conditions are persistent, as is the case in the regions lying under the
anticyclones of the subtropics.
The influence of subtropical anticyclones on rainfall increases with the presence of cool
surfaces.
Arid conditions also occur in the lee of major mountain ranges that disrupt the structure of
cyclones passing over them, creating "rain shadow" effects. Rainfall is also hindered by the
presence of greatly heated land surfaces; as a consequence, large areas of dry climate exist far
from the sea.

ARID ZONE CLIMATE :

The arid zone is characterized by excessive heat and inadequate, variable precipitation; however,
contrasts in climate occur. In general, these climatic contrasts result from differences in
temperature, the season in which rain falls, and in the degree of aridity. Three major types of
climate are distinguished when describing the arid zone: the Mediterranean climate, the tropical
climate and the continental climate.

The rain that falls in an arid climate is sporadic and when it does fall, it is usually in the form of a
thunderstorm. Flash floods are frequently a danger in arid climates after thunderstorms as the
dry, compact soil cannot absorb water quickly enough to capture the rain. Streams swell with
water for a few hours and then dry up again until the next cloudburst.

TYPES
There are three types
. Mediterranean
. tropical
. continental
Furthermore, Evidence shows that certain arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas have
experienced declines in rainfall, resulting in decreases in soil fertility and agricultural, livestock,
forest and rangeland production. Projected temperature increases are likely to lead to increased
open water and soil/plant evaporation.

IMPACT IN ARCHITECTURE

Generally, in architectural literature, scholars argue that there are lots of factors that affect on
type of architecture and type of buildings, One of the most important factors is impact of kind of
climate on architecture type.

How a building takes advantage of sun, breeze, vegetation, and creates a unique microclimate is
one of the subtle but enduring measures of the designer’s skill. Climatic design is the one
approach by which to reduce the energy cost of a building comprehensively: the building design
is the first “line of defence” against the stress of outside climate. In all climates, building built
according to climatic design principles reduce the need for mechanical heating and cooling by
using “natural energy” available from the climate at the building site. The resulting long-term
energy cost makes climatic design techniques the best financial investment for any building
owner. Many are “no cost” techniques, requiring only climatic design knowledge. Other
techniques are easily incorporate into conventional construction.

Air-conditioning systems are increasingly seen as a part of the climate change problem, as well
as its solution, as the yawning gap grows between the amounts of fossil fuels used in the world
and the falling amounts of fossil fuels that are available to run these machines. Not only is the
rising cost of energy a problem, perhaps least to those who could not afford air conditioning
anyway, but the fact that the energy used to run these systems is a major contributor to
greenhouse gas emissions. We now have no option but to adapt the actual fabric of our buildings
to withstand higher temperatures.