Tropical Design

Tropical Design
 Considers the environmental impact on the building
 Wind
 Sun
 As much as possible, less energy consumption

MINIMIZE THE SUN + MAXIMIZE THE WIND

What are your considerations when
planning?
 Easy access
 Carport > Kitchen
 Bedroom > Toilet and Bath
 Privacy
 Plumbing
 Orientation
 Sun heat
 Kitchen bacteria
 Bedroom comfort
Donts
 Dead ends
 Two near doors*
 Long hallway
Climate
Climate
 Defined a region with certain temperature, dryness, wind,
light etc
 An integration in time of the atmospheric environment of
a certain geographical location
Climate VS Weather
Climate is different from weather, in that weather only
describes the short-term conditions of these variables in a
given region.
World Climates
General Types of Climate
1. Cold
2. Temperature
3. Hot Arid
4. Hot Humid (Tropical)
Cool Regions
Minimizing the surface area of a building reduces exposure
to low temperature
• Maximize absorption of solar radiation
• Reduce radiant, conductive and evaporative heat loss
• Provide wind protection
 Cool
Alberta, Canada
Temperate Regions
Elongating the form of a building along the east-west axis
maximizes south-facing walls
• Minimize east and west exposures, which are generally
warmer in summer and cooler in winter than southern
exposures
• Balance solar heat gain with shade protection on a
seasonal basis
• Encourage air movement in hot weather; protect against
wind in cold weather
Temperate
Haus, Norway
Hot-Arid Regions
Building forms should enclose courtyard spaces
• Reduce solar and conductive heat gain
• Promote cooling by evaporation using water features and
plantings
• Provide solar shading for windows and outdoor spaces
“Arid”
 A land or a climate having little or no rain and is typically
too dry or barren to support lush vegetation
 Dry
Pheonix, Arinoza
Hot-Humid (Tropical) Regions
Building form elongated along the east-west axis minimizes
east and west exposures
• Reduce solar heat gain
• Utilize wind to promote cooling by evaporation
• Provide solar shading for windows and outdoor spaces
 Tropical
Cebu, Philippines
Climate of the Philippines
 The climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime
 It is characterized by relatively high temperature, high
humidity and abundant rainfall
 It is similar in many respects to the climate of the
countries of Central America
The most important elements of the country’s weather and
climate are the following:
 Temperature
 Humidity
 Rainfall
Temperature
 Excluding Baguio, the mean annual temperature in the
Philippines is 26.6 ºC
 The coolest months fall in January with a mean
temperature of 25.5 ºC while the warmest month occurs in
May with a mean temperature of 28.3 ºC
Humidity
 Refers to the moisture content of the atmosphere
 Due to high temperature and the surrounding bodies of
water, the Philippines has a high relative humidity
 The average monthly relative humidity varies between
71% in March and 85% in September
Rainfall
 Most important climatic element in the Philippines
 Rainfall distribution throughout the country varies from
one region to another, depending upon the direction of the
moisture-bearing winds and the location of the mountain
systems
 The mean annual rainfall of the Philippines varies from
965 to 4064 mm annually
 Baguio City, eastern Samar, and eastern Surigao receive
the greatest amount of rainfall while the southern portion
of Cotabato receives the least amount of rain. At GSC, the
average annual rainfall is only 978 mm.
Seasons
 Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the climate of the
country can be divided into two major seasons:
rainy and dry
 The rainy season, from June to November
 The dry season, from December to May, which may be
subdivided further into:
 The cool dry season, from December to February
 The hot dry season, from March to May
Prevailing Winds
 Hanging amihan (N-E)
November-April
 Hanging habagat (S-W)
May-October
Monsoon
 A monsoon is a seasonal shift in the prevailing wind
direction, that usually brings with it a different kind of
weather
Typhoons
 Have a great influence on the climate and weather
conditions of the Philippines
 A great portion of the rainfall, humidity and cloudiness are
due to the influence of typhoons
 They generally originate in the region of the Marianas and
Caroline Islands of the Pacific Ocean which have the same
latitudinal location as Mindanao
 Their movements follow a north-westerly direction,
sparing Mindanao from being directly hit by majority of
the typhoons that cross the country
 This makes the southern Philippines very desirable for
agriculture and industrial development