SHELTER FOR
COMPOSITE CLIMATES
•NATURE OF THE CLIMATE
•PHYSIOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES
•DESIGN CRITERIA
•THE DISCOMFORT INDEX
•FORM AND PLANNING
•EXTERNAL SPACES
•ROOFS AND WALLS
•SURFACE TREATMENT
•OPENINGS
•VENTILATION AND
CONDENSATION
•TRADITIONAL SHELTER
NATURE OF the CLIMATE:
THE COMPOSITE OR MONSOON CLIMATES ARE NEITHER
CONSISTENTLY HOT AND DRY , NOR WARM AND HUMID .
THEIR CHARACTERISTICS CHANGE FROM SEASON TO
SEASON , ALTERNATING BETWEEN LONG HOT, DRY PERIOD TO
SHORTER PERIODS OF CONCENTRATED RAINFALL AND HIGH
HUMIDITY .
SIGNITICANT DIFFERENCES IN AIR TEMPERATURE
,HUMIDITY ,WIND,SKY AND GROUND CONDITION CAN EASILY BE
APPRECIATED BY COMPARING DISCRIPTION OF WARM HUMID AND
HOT DRY CLIMATES.
PHYSIOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES:
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL OBJECTIONS SET OUT FOR
WARM HUMID AND HOT DRY CLIMATES APPLIED TO THE
RESPECTIVE SEASONS OF COMPOSITE CLIMATES .
ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS ARE CREATED BY THE
THIRD SEASON .
DURING THIS COLD SEASON EFFECTIVE
TEMPERATURES ARE MUCH LOWER THAN IN THE TWO WARMER
SEASONS , AND PHYSICAL COMFORT WILL DEPEND ON THE
PREVENTION OF HEAT LOSS FROM THE BODY , ESPECIALLY AT
NIGHT .
IN THE WARM SEASONS THE HEAT DESIPATION IS
INADEQUATE , AND THE DESIGNER ATTEMPTS TO
INCREASE
IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE , BUT IN THE COLD SEASON IT
MAY BECOME EXCESSIVE , CREATING A SENSATION OF
COLD
DISCOMFORT – CONSEQUENTLY MEASURES FOR THE
RETENTION OF HEATARE NECESSARY.
DESIGN CRITERIA
THE DISCOMFORT INDEX
FORM AND PLANNING
EXTERNAL SPACE:
WHEN THE SUN IS WELCOME,ALL SHADING IS
UNDESIRABLE.
FOR THE DRY SEASON CONTROLLED LAND SCAPE
AND ENCLOSURE WALLS ARE NECESSARY TO P LARGE
PROTECTING EAVES AND WIDE VERANDAHS ARE NEEDED IN
THE WARM HUMID SEASON AS OUT-DOOR LIVING AREAS,TO
REDUCE SKY GLARE,KEEP OUT RAIN AND PROVIDE SHADE.
BRISE-SOLEILS,LOUVRES,AND SUN BREAKS USED
TO PROTECT OPENINGS DURING THE HOT DRY PERIOD,ARE
ALSO ADVANTAGES IN THE RAINY SEASON,SERVING AS
PROTECTION AGAINST RAIN AND WIND DRIVEN SPARY.
SHADING DEVICES SHOULD PREFERABLY BE OF LOW
THERMAL CAPCITY.
DURING THE COLD SEASON,ROVIDE AGAINST DUST
AND THERMAL WIND.
THE GHIGHER RAIN FALLMAKES IT EASIER TO MAINTAIN
VEGETATION AROUND BUILDINGS,THEREBY REDUCING DUST.
A COUTYARD IS THE MOST PLEASANT OUT-DOOR SPACE
FOR MOST OF THE YEAR ,BECAUSE IT EXCLUDES THE WIND AND
TRAP THE SUN.
IT SHOULD BE DESIGNED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO ALLOW SUN
PENETRATION DURING THE WINTER MONTHS BUT PROVIDE SHADING
IN THE HOT SEASON.
DECIDIOUS PLANTS CAN SERVE A USEFUL PURPOSE.
COURTYARD CAN EVEN BE COVERED BY A PERGOLA
CARRYING DECIDIOUS CREEPERS.
THESE WOULD PROVIDE SHADE IN THE HOT SEASON BUT
ADMIT THE SUN IN THE WINTER
ROOF AND WALLS:
THE RETENTION OF NIGHT TIME LOW WALL
TEMPERATURES IS DESIRABLE IN THE HOT DRY SEASONS ONLY
BUT THE SAME THERMAL PROPERTIES WILL BE USEFUL IN THE
COLD SEASONS TO RETAIN THE HEAT OF THE DAY FOR THE
UNCOMFPRTABLY COLD NIGHTS.
ROOFS AND EXTERNAL WALLS SHOULD, THEREFORE, BE
CONSTRUCTED OF SOLID MASONRY OR CONCRETE, TO HAVE A 9
TO 12 HOUR TIME LAG IN HEAT TRANSMISSION.
THE THERMAL CAPACITY WILL BE OF ADVANTAGE IN
BOTH THE COLD AND THE HOT DRY SEASONS.
IN THE WARM HUMID SEASONS, A LOW THERMAL
CAPACITY BUT GOOD INSULATING WALL AND ROOF WOULD BE
BETTER THE LARGE THERMAL CAPACITY BEING OF NO GREAT
DISADVANTAGE, PROVIDED IT DOES NOT IMPEDE THE
MOVEMENT OF AIR.
AN ADVANTAGE OF LOW RISE DEVELOPMENT IS THE
GREATER CONTACT OF WALLS WITH THE GROUNT, DOES THE
GROUND WILL ALSO BE UTILISED FOR THERMAL STORAGE
SURFACE TREATMENT:
THE PREVENTION OF HEAT ENTERING THROUGH THE OUTER
SURFACE OF THE WALLS AND ROOF IS A FUNDAMNETAL.
SURFACES EXPOSED TO THE SUN DURING THE HOT AND
WARM SEASONS SHOULD BE LIGHT COLOURED OR OF SHINY POLISHED
METAL.
DURING THE COLD SEASON THE HEAT OF THE SUN IS
IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING INDOOR COMFORT, THEREFORE
ABSORTIVE SURFACES WILL BE REQUIRED IN PLACE OF THE SHADING
AND REFLECTIVE SURFACES OF THE HOT SEASONS.
VARIABLE SURFACES MAY BE DEVICED, BUT THE SOLAR
GEOMETRY MAY OFTEN PERMIT PERMANENT SURFACES TO BE
UTILISED IN THE APROPRIATE SEASONS. EG: NORTH OF THE TRPOIC
OF CANCER, THE BACK WALLS OF SOUTH FACING VARANDAS WILL BE
REACHED BY THE SUN IN NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY THUS SHOULD BE
MADE HIGHLY ABSORPTIVE.
IN SOME SUCH LOCATIONS ( AS LABOUR IS CHEAP) A NEW
TRADE HAS DEVELOPED- A MAN WHO WITE WASHERS ROOFS
AT
THE BEGINNING AT THE WARM SEASONS AND PAINTS THEM
BLACK BEFORE THE COLD SEASON ARRIVES.
OPENINGS:
ORIENTATION OF OPENINGS IS DETERMINED BY TWO
FACTORS
TOWARDS THE BREEZE PREVAILING DURING THE
WARM HUMID SEASON , TO UTILISE ITS COOLING EFFECT.
TOWARDS THE SUN DURING THE COLD SEASON ,
TO UTILIZE THE HEATING EFFECT OF RADIATION ENTERING
THROUGH THE WINDOWS.
REASONABLY LARGE OPENINGS IN OPPOSITE WALLS
ARE SUITABLE , PREFARABLY WITH SOLID SHUTTERS WHICH
CAN BE OPENED WHEN CROSS VENTILATION IS NECESSARY ,
POSSIBLY DURING THE WARM HUMID SEASON OR FOR
EVENING COOLING IN THE HOT DRY SEASONS.
THE AREA OF SUCH OPENING SHOULD NOT NORMALLY
EXCEED THE AREA OF SOLID WALLING ON THE SAME
ELEVATION .
ON THE ADJACENT WALLS THE WINDOWS SHOULD
NOT OCCUPY MORE THAN ABOUT 25% OF TOTAL AREA .
VENTILATION AND CONDENSATION :
AS BUILDINGS ARE FREQUENTLY CLOSED FOR
LONGED PERIODS VENTILATION REQUIREMENT SHOULD BE
SATISFIED DURING THE HOT DRY SEASON BY SPECIAL
PROVISIONS.
TWO SMALL OPENINGS , ONE HIGH LEVEL AND LOW
LEVEL, OR VENTILATING STACKS MAY PROVIDE A SOLUTION.
WHEN THE INDOOR AIR IS WARMER THAN THE
OUTDOOR, FOR EXAMPLE, DURING THE COLD SEASON, THE
AIR FLOW WILL BE ‘IN’ AT LOW LEVEL AND ‘OUT’ AT HIGH
LEVEL.
THE REVERSE WILL OCCUR WHEN THE OUTDOOR
TEMPERATURE IS HIGHER THAN THE INDOOR, SUCH AS
DURING THE DAY IN THE HOT DRY SEASONS.
OCCASSIONALLY, DURING TRANSITIONAL PERIODS THAT IS
FROM ONE SEASON TO ANOTHER, CONDENSATION MAY OCCUR
WHEN TWO FACTORS COINCIDE:
WHEN THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE AIR IS HIGH
WHEN THE SURFACE OF THE WALL OR CEILING IS COLD
ENOUGH TO COOL THE ADJACENT LAYER OF AIR BELOW ITS DEW
POINT.
TRADITIONAL SHELTER:
THE CHARACTER OF HOUSES TRADITIONAL TO A
COMPOSITE CLIMATE OF ANY PARTICULAR REGION DEPENDS
UPON THE RELATIVE PREDOMINANCE OF HOT DRY OR WARM
HUMID CONDITIONS DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.
A FAMILIAR URBAN SOLUTION FOR HOUSING IN THESE
CLIMATES IS A GROUND FLOOR WITH MASSIVE WALLS (EARTH
OR MASONRY) WITH LARGE SHUTTER OPENINGS, LAID OUT
AROUND A COURTYARD, AND A FIRST FLOOR STRUCTURE OF
LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS.
THESE COOL QUICKLY AT NIGHT, TO ALLOW FAIRLY
COMFORTABLE SLEEPING CONDITIONS DURING THE HOTTEST
PART OF THE YEAR.
IN SUCH A HYBRID STRUCTURE THE CENTRE OF
FAMILY LIFE SHIFTS WITH THE SEASONAL CHANGES OF
CLIMATE.
