TROP3

TROPICAL
ARCHITECTURE
1. Introduction
2. Design Strategies
i. Sun Shading Devices
ii. Building Orientation
iii. Ventilation
iv. Choice of Material
a climate responsive
architecture where the
buildings are specifically
designed to achieve thermal
comfort at the tropical region.
High humidity and temperature
High annual precipitation
High solar radiation

Solar Control
Air Circulation
Thermal Effects of Material

Sun shading devices
Building orientation
Maximum ventilation
Choice of material
* reduce amount of radiation *
by reflection and absorption
* improve distribution of light *

• retractable
shutters, roller blinds, louvers
• fixed redistribution device
overhangs, reveals, fins, light shelves
• fixed reduced transmission
devices
perforated sheets, tinted, reflective, fritted glass, brise soleil,
trees
• minimize solar gain,
maximize natural ventilation
• avoid facing east & west
maximum sun exposure
• main windows & longer sides face
north or south to catch
prevailing breeze
• to better indoor air quality &
achieve thermal comfort
• natural & mechanical
• two principles:
– Cross ventilation
– Stack ventilation
to optimize natural ventilation
• elongated floor plan

• minimum internal partition
• elevate house on stilts
• high ceilings (to diffuse interior heat)

• high level window/clerestory
• vents in the roof
• windows on opposite side

• maximize window openings (size and
distribution)
• some shading methods: louvers, trees
Design Strategies in a Traditional Malay House
• thermal mass of
material
– lightweight material: timber,
wood, galvanised iron
• durability
– concrete, brick
• good insulator of heat
– thatch, terra cotta, build
double walls, etc
PASSIVE COOLING
• Passive cooling systems are least expensive means of cooling a home which
maximizes the efficiency of the building envelope without any use of mechanical
devices.
• It rely on natural heat-sinks to remove heat from the building. They derive
cooling directly from evaporation, convection, and radiation without using any
intermediate electrical devices.
• All passive cooling strategies rely on daily changes in temperature and relative
humidity.
• The applicability of each system depends on the climatic conditions.

• These design strategies reduce heat gains to internal spaces.
- Natural Ventilation - Earth Air Tunnels

- Shading - Evaporative Cooling
- Wind Towers - Passive Down Draught Cooling
- Courtyard Effect - Roof Sprays
NATURAL VENTILATION
• Outdoor breezes create air movement through the house interior by the 'push-pull'
effect of positive air pressure on the windward side and negative pressure (suction)
on the leeward side.
• In order to have a good natural ventilation, openings must be placed at opposite
pressure zones.
• Also, designers often choose to enhance natural ventilation using tall spaces called
stacks in buildings.
•With openings near the top of stacks,
warm air can escape whereas cooler air
enters the building from openings near
the ground.
•The windows, play a dominant role in

inducing indoor ventilation due to wind
forces.
•In most homes, exhausting the warm air
quickly can be a problem.
•With the design of high ceilings throughout

the breeze zone combined with clerestory
windows at the 14′ ceiling height on three
walls, the rising hot air is allowed to escape
which in turn does two things.
•Firstly the rising air creates a low pressure

zone on the cool mass floor, pulling air along
the floor from other areas of the house as well
as any open doors.
•Secondly the rising and escaping air creates

an interior low pressure that should pull in
large volumes or exterior air from the patio
doors.
•Depending on the primary wind direction and

which doors are opened relative to time of day
and shade, we can create a breeze of cooler
incoming air.
SHADING
•Solar control is a critical requirement for both
cooling-load dominated and passively solar-heated
buildings.
•The most effective method of cooling a building is

to shade windows, walls and roof of building from
direct solar radiation.
•Heavily insulated walls and roofs need less shading.
•Can use overhangs on outside facade of the

building.
Each project should be evaluated depending on its relative

cooling needs:
•Extend the overhang beyond the sides of the window to

prevent solar gain from the side.
•Use slatted or louvered shades to allow more daylight to

enter, while shading windows from direct sunlight.
•Reduce solar heat gain by recessing windows into the wall.

WIND TOWER
• In a wind tower, the hot air enters the tower through
the openings in the tower, gets cooled, and thus
becomes heavier and sinks down.
• The inlet and outlet of rooms induce cool air

movement.
• In the presence of wind, air is cooled more

effectively and flows faster down the tower and into
the living area.
• After a whole day of air exchanges, the tower

becomes warm in the evenings.
• During the night, cooler ambient air comes in

contact with the bottom of the tower through the
rooms.
Wind tower in Jodhpur Hostel to
catch favorable cool wind from south-
west for passive cooling
Building-integrated chimney in Sudha

and Atam Kumar’s residence in New
Delhi from effective ventillation especially
during humid season.
•The tower walls absorb heat during daytime
and release it at night, warming the cool night
air in the tower.
• Warm air moves up, creating an upward draft,

and draws cool night air through the doors and
windows into the building.
•The system works effectively in hot and dry

climates where fluctuations are high.
•A wind tower works well for individual units not

for multi-storeyed apartments.
•In dense urban areas, the wind tower has to be

long enough to be able to catch enough air.
• Also protection from driving rain is difficult.

COURTYARD EFFECT
• Due to incident solar radiation in a courtyard, the air gets warmer and rises.
• Cool air from the ground level flows through the louvered openings of rooms
surrounding a courtyard, thus producing air flow.
• At night, the warm roof surfaces get cooled by convection and radiation.
• If this heat exchange reduces roof surface temperature to wet bulb temperature of
air, condensation of atmospheric moisture occurs on the roof and the gain due to
condensation limits further cooling.
Courtyard as a moderator of internal climate

• If the roof surfaces are sloped towards the internal courtyard, the cooled air sinks
into the court and enters the living space through low-level openings, gets warmed
up, and leaves the room through higher-level openings.
• However, care should be taken that the courtyard does not receive intense solar
radiation, which would lead to conduction and radiation heat gains into the
building.
EARTH AIR TUNNELS
•Daily and annual temperature fluctuations

decrease with the increase in depth below the
ground surface.
•At a depth of about 4 m below ground, the

temperature inside the earth remains nearly
constant round the year and is nearly equal to
the annual average temperature of the place.
•A tunnel in the form of a pipe or otherwise

embedded at a depth of about 4 m below the
ground will acquire the same temperature as the
surrounding earth at its surface.
•Therefore, the ambient air ventilated through

this tunnel will get cooled in summer and
warmed in winter and this air can be used for
cooling in summer and heating in winter.
•This technique has been used in the
composite climate of Gurgaon in RETREAT
building.
•The living quarters (the south block of

RETREAT) are maintained at comfortable
temperatures (approx. 20-30 degree Celsius)
round the year by the earth air tunnel
system, supplemented, whenever required,
with a system of absorption chillers powered
by liquefied natural gas during monsoons
and with an air washer during dry summer.
•However, the cooler air underground needs

to be circulated in the living space. Each
room in the south block has a 'solar
chimney; warm air rises and escapes
through the chimney, which creates an air
current for the cooler air from the
underground tunnels to replace the warm air.
•Two blowers installed in the tunnels speed

up the process.
•The same mechanism supplies warm air

PASSIVE SPACE CONDITIONING
from the tunnel during winter. USING EARTH AIR TUNNEL SYSTEM
EVAPORATIVE COOLING
• Evaporative cooling lowers indoor air temperature by evaporating water.
• It is effective in hot and dry climate where the atmospheric humidity is low.
• In evaporative cooling, the sensible heat of air is used to evaporate water, thereby
cooling the air, which, in turn, cools the living space of the building.
• Increase in contact between water and air increases the rate of evaporation.
• The presence of a water body such as a pond, lake, and sea near the building or a
fountain in a courtyard can provide a cooling effect.
•The most commonly used system

is a desert cooler, which comprises
water, evaporative pads, a fan, and
pump.
1. Ground cover
2. Water sprinkler
3. Insulated roof
4. Shading trees
5. Water trough
A TYPICAL SECTION SHOWING PASSIVE SOLAR FEATURES OF WALMI BUILDING,BHOPAL
PASSIVE DOWN DRAUGHT COOLING
•Evaporative cooling has been used for many

centuries in parts of the middle east, notably Iran
and turkey.
•In this system, wind catchers guide outside air

over water-filled pots, inducing evaporation and
causing a significant drop in temperature before
the air enters the interior.
•Such wind catchers become primary elements of

the architectural form also.
•Passive downdraught evaporative cooling is

particularly effective in hot and dry climates. It
has been used to effectively cool the Torrent
Research Centre in Ahmedabad.
DETAILS OF THE PASSIVE DOWN DRAUGHT COOLING INLETS
EARTH SHELTERED BUILDINGS
ROOF SPRAYS

TROP3

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TROPICAL

High annual precipitation

High solar radiation

Thermal Effects of Material

* improve distribution of light *

• elongated floor plan

• high ceilings (to diffuse interior heat)

• windows on opposite side

• The applicability of each system depends on the climatic conditions.

- Natural Ventilation - Earth Air Tunnels

•The windows, play a dominant role in

•With the design of high ceilings throughout

•Firstly the rising air creates a low pressure

•Secondly the rising and escaping air creates

•Depending on the primary wind direction and

•The most effective method of cooling a building is

•Heavily insulated walls and roofs need less shading.

•Can use overhangs on outside facade of the

Each project should be evaluated depending on its relative

•Extend the overhang beyond the sides of the window to

•Use slatted or louvered shades to allow more daylight to

•Reduce solar heat gain by recessing windows into the wall.

• The inlet and outlet of rooms induce cool air

• In the presence of wind, air is cooled more

• After a whole day of air exchanges, the tower

• During the night, cooler ambient air comes in

Building-integrated chimney in Sudha

• Warm air moves up, creating an upward draft,

•The system works effectively in hot and dry

•A wind tower works well for individual units not

•In dense urban areas, the wind tower has to be

• Also protection from driving rain is difficult.

Courtyard as a moderator of internal climate

•Daily and annual temperature fluctuations

•At a depth of about 4 m below ground, the

•A tunnel in the form of a pipe or otherwise

•Therefore, the ambient air ventilated through

•The living quarters (the south block of

•However, the cooler air underground needs

•Two blowers installed in the tunnels speed

•The same mechanism supplies warm air

•The most commonly used system

•Evaporative cooling has been used for many

•In this system, wind catchers guide outside air

•Such wind catchers become primary elements of

•Passive downdraught evaporative cooling is

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