WRITTEN REPORT
Elements, Factors, and Concepts of
Climatic Design
Submitted to
Ar./EnP. Gerelson Ray R. Bernardino
University of Batangas
Submitted by
Stephen Castillo
September 22, 2021
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CONTENT
What is Climate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
What is Weather? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Difference Between Climate and Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
What is the Köppen System? . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Climates in the Philippines . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Types of Climate. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . … . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Climatic Elements to be considered in Design.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . ..11-14
Important elements of climate and weather in the Philippines.. . . . . . . . . . . .15-16
Types of climates in the Philippines. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-17
Monsoons in the Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-18
Prevailing Winds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .18
Tropical Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Characteristics of Tropical Climates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Designs and Considerations for Tropical Climates . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. 21-25
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ….26
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …..27-28
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INTRODUCTION
It is essential to be aware of the meteorological parameters of the construction site
including the amount and type of rainfall, temperature, humidity, direction and wind speed,
detrimental environmental phenomena and especially heavy showers, heavy winds, local
changeability, glacial times, heavy snow, etc. of a building. The tropical architecture
consists of buildings specifically designed for tropical climates, to produce pleasant living
conditions while reducing the buildings’ energy consumption, particularly the cooling load.
It should be remembered that the formation, reproduction, and continuation of the living
activities of all living creatures depend on suitable climate conditions.
Climate is one of the most important factors that affect both architectural design
and urban planning. We should analyze and applied correctly the location, texture, shape,
direction, dimension, distance, etc. of the building to provide the best climate comfort
indoors. The effects of climate conditions on a building are certainly one of the most
important natural factors that shape architectural studies. The problem of creating a
comfortable interior environment to meet needs is as old as the history of mankind
considering that human activities do not generally occur under any natural conditions.
One of the main principles of architecture is to establish artificial environments that
provide comfortable spaces for human life. A physical environment that is created in line
with these requirements is what we called a building, which is one of the products of
architecture. If so, one of the expected functions of a building is to provide an interior
environment that is controlled in terms of climatic comfort.
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CONTENT
What is Climate?
Climate is the average weather in a given area or location over a longer period. In
short, the climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area.
In addition, climate includes the average temperature in different seasons, rainfall, and
sunshine. It refers to the usual conditions of meteorological and weather elements such
as temperature, humidity, pressure, wind, and precipitation that exist for a long time in a
certain area of the earth's surface. The climate has been the average state for about thirty
years.
IMPORTANCE
Climate affects nearly every aspect of our daily lives, from our food sources to our
transportations, from our clothing, to where we go on special occasions. Our livelihoods,
our health, and our future depend on the huge impacts we got from it. It is significant to
understand how the climate is changing for us to be prepared for the future. By the use
of experimentations and studying the climate, it can help us predict the climate and also
know how much rain will come and how far sea levels will rise due to its temperature.
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What is Weather?
Weather is basically the way the atmosphere is behaving, mainly concerning its
effects upon life and human activities. It is the mix of events or phenomena that can
happen each day in our atmosphere. Weather can differ in its location and changes over
minutes, hours, days, and weeks. The part of Earth’s atmosphere that is closest to the
ground is where most weather happens in the troposphere. There are five types of
weather which are sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, and stormy.
Weather is driven by air pressure, temperature, and moisture differences between
one place and another. These differences can occur due to the Sun's angle at any
particular spot, which varies with latitude. Air pressure is responsible for the changes in
weather events that are happening in a location or specific area. The weight of the huge
numbers of air molecules that make up the atmosphere is the cause of why there is air
pressure.
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What is the difference between climate and weather?
Climate is the weather of a specific region averaged over a long period while
weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions. Climate change refers to long-term
changes. The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Climate is
how the atmosphere "behaves" over a long period. On the other hand, the weather is
what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period.
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What is the Koppen System?
One of the most common climate classification systems in the world is the Köppen
climate classification system. To denote the different climate regions on Earth based on
local vegetation, this classification system is used. It uses colors and shades to classify
the world into five climate zones based on criteria like temperature, which allows for
different vegetation growth. Through the use of the Köppen climate classification system,
it can categorize climate zones throughout the world based on local vegetation.
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Climate of the Philippines.
Tropical and maritime is the Climate of the Philippines. When we talk about tropical
and maritime, it is often 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. Temperature, humidity, and rainfall, which are discussed hereunder, are the
most important elements of the country's weather and climate. The coolest months fall in
January with a mean temperature of 25.5 °C, while the warmest month occurs in May
with a mean temperature of 28.3 °C.
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Types of Climates
• Tropical
The tropics are the region of the Earth that is near to the equator and between the
Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern
hemisphere. It has an average temperature of greater than 64°F (18°C) year-round and
there are more than 59 inches of precipitation each year in this hot and humid zone.
• Dry
The primary characteristic of a dry climate has low and unpredictable precipitation.
The lowest rainfall occurs in arid, or desert. And sometimes deserts have years with no
rainfall at all. Because the moisture is rapidly evaporated from the air and there is very
little precipitation these climate zones are considered to be so dry.
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• Temperate
It is generally defined as environments with moderate rainfall spread across the
year or portion of the year. It is characterized by sporadic drought, mild to warm summers,
and cool to cold winters. There are typically warm and humid summers with
thunderstorms and mild winters in this zone.
• Continental
This exists where cold air masses infiltrate during the winter and warm air masses
form in summer under conditions of high sun and also long days. In this region, it
experiences warm to cool summers and very cold winters. When winter arrives, this zone
can experience snowstorms, strong winds, and very cold temperatures and sometimes
falling below -22°F (-30°C).
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• Polar
It is characterized by having lack of warm summers. it’s extremely cold in the polar
climate zones. The temperatures here never go higher than 50°F (10°C) even in summer.
Climatic Elements to be considered in Design.
Civil operations, building constructions, and building designs consider different
climate factors. Weather temperature, soil temperature, angle and intensity of sunlight,
relative humidity, direction and wind speed, rainfall, and sunlight are the most significant
climate factors. It is very essential to consider climate factors especially when designing
and building construction in different areas and locations to minimize the potential
adverse effects and also to optimize the climate potential
The most important climate factors to be considered are the Weather temperature,
Soil temperature, Angle and Intensity of sunlight, Relative humidity, Direction and Wind
speed, Rainfall, and also the sunlight. These factors are important to be studied and
considered before designing and constructing because they have an extreme value to
lessen the chance of having failures.
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• Weather Temperature
The weather temperature is one of the most important factors that affect climate
designing. By the maximum and the minimum temperature of the region, the intended
dimensions in designing various points of a building and also the material in use must be
determined. In this situation, the quantity and quality of constructing a building are
different depending on the types of the region pointing to tropical, cold, and moderate.
• Soil Temperature
Soil temperature and its changes are of importance over the year. The soil surface
experiences the most changeability of temperature during the year which is caused by
proximity with air and its changes. The more we go to the depth of the soil, the fewer
chances of temperature we have so that in a specific depth called depth or attenuation
depth temperature, annual changes of soil temperature are caused.
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• Sunshine
The rate of receiving sunshine is a function of several factors which include:
latitude (angle of sunshine), the amount of cloud, and sunshine hours. The less the
latitude, the less the angle of the stretch of sunshine with the vertical line to the horizon
and the more the receiving sunshine.
• Relative Humidity
By definition, relative humidity refers to the proportion of the existing amount of
humidity in the air to the maximum amount of acceptable humidity in terms of percent.
The more the rate of relative humidity, the more the possibility for the formation of water
drops on physical objects on the earth surface.
• Wind Direction and Speed
Wind direction is away from which it is blowing. Knowing about the wind direction
of each region, bearing the most frequency from that direction (prevailing wind), is an
important factor in setting the direction of building construction aerodynamically so that in
the state of heavy winds, light buildings wouldn’t be hit.
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• Rain Fall
The amount of rainfall is one of the most determining factors that shall be
considered in building design, especially ceiling design. In rain areas, the ceiling of
buildings must be designed as a gable roof so that water erosion is reduced, due
damages are minimized and there would be no water left on the roof. Otherwise, adverse
effects of rain and its penetration into buildings would rise.
• Weather Detrimental Phenomena
It refers to so high or so low rate of meteorological factors. For instance, floods or
drought shows very high or low rates of rainfall. What matters about weather detrimental
phenomena in civil operations is so high rates of meteorological factors.
• Weather Detrimental Phenomena
It refers to so high or so low rate of meteorological factors. For instance, floods or
drought show a very high or low rate of rainfall. What matters about weather detrimental
phenomena in civil operations is so high rates of meteorological factors.
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What are the important elements of climate and weather in the Philippines?
The most important elements of the country's weather and climate are
temperature, humidity, and rainfall.
• TEMPERATURE
The most important elements of the country's weather and climate are
temperature, humidity, and rainfall. The coolest months fall in January with a mean
temperature of 25.5oC while the warmest month occurs in May with a mean temperature
of 28.3oC. Altitude shows greater contrast in temperature while latitude is an insignificant
factor in the variation of temperature. This shows that the mean annual temperature of
Baguio with an elevation of 1,500 meters is 18.3oC. As the summer capital of the
Philippines, this makes the temperature of Baguio comparable with those in the temperate
climate.
• HUMIDITY
The moisture content of the atmosphere refers to Humidity. The Philippines has
high relative humidity due to high temperatures and the surrounding bodies of water. The
average monthly relative humidity varies between 71 percent in March and 85 percent in
September. The combination of warm temperature and high relative and absolute
humidity give rise to high sensible temperature throughout the archipelago. When
temperature and humidity attain their maximum-levels it is uncomfortable especially from
March to May.
• RAINFALL
The most important climatic element in the Philippines is Rainfall. Depending upon
the direction of the moisture-bearing winds and the location of the mountain systems,
rainfall distribution throughout the country varies from one region to another. The mean
annual rainfall of the Philippines varies from 965 to 4,064 millimeters annually. The places
the receive the greatest amount of rainfall are Baguio City, eastern Samar, and eastern
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Surigao. On the other hand, the southern portion of Cotabato receives the least amount
of rain. The average annual rainfall is only 978 millimeters at General Santos City in
Cotabato.
What are the climate types in the Philippines?
The Philippines is characterized by having five types of climates. They are the
Tropical rainforest, Tropical monsoon, Tropical savanna, Humid subtropical, and oceanic
known by relatively high temperature, oppressive humidity, and plenty of rainfall.
This country is also known for having 2 seasons which are the wet and dry
seasons. This is based on the amount of rainfall it has. This is also dependent on the
location in this country because some areas experience rainfall throughout the whole
year. The warmest months of the year in the Philippines are from March to October based
on temperature. From November to February, the winter monsoon is present, bringing
cooler air from these months. Lastly, the warmest month is in May and the coolest is in
January.
• TROPICAL RAINFOREST
A tropical climate usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator is
classified as a tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate. People within this region
experience high mean annual temperatures, small temperature ranges, and rain that falls
throughout the year. A tropical rainforest climate is typically hot, very humid, and wet.
• TROPICAL MONSOON
Is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category
"Am" is classified as tropical monsoon climate that is occasionally known as a tropical wet
climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate. Every month of the year,
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tropical monsoon climates have monthly mean temperatures above 18 °C. Tropical
monsoon climates are the intermediate climate between the wet and the drier.
• TROPICAL SAVANNA CLIMATE OR TROPICAL WET AND DRY CLIMATE
The dry season can become severe, and often drought conditions prevail during
the year in tropical savanna climates. These climates often feature tree-studded
grasslands, rather than thick jungles. It is this widespread occurrence of tall, coarse grass
that has led to climates often being referred to as tropical savanna.
Monsoon in the Philippines.
Monsoon has a different name or designated term in each country that it affects.
In the Philippines, the Summer Monsoon is called the “Habagat” while the Winter
Monsoon is called the “Amihan. The people believe that the word 'monsoon' is originated
from the Arabic word “mawsim” which means season. It is a consistent wind pattern that
is generated by a large weather system. This lasts for about a month or sometimes
months that can affect a large area of Earth’s surface.
• Summer Southwest Monsoon – Habagat
From late April to October each year, the Summer Monsoon, the west or
southwest, is the predominant weather pattern throughout most Asian tropical
destinations. Summer Monsoon weather is characterized by a strong, generally West or
southwest breeze that is responsible for bringing significant rainfall to the Asian
subcontinent and to South and East Asia.
• Winter Northeast Monsoon – Amihan
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Before finally dominating the weather with a cooler and drier northeast monsoon
in most Asian tropical and sub-tropical destinations through to the following April, the
Winter Monsoon air from the anticyclone pushes outward in a clockwise motion from its
center and engage with the Summer Monsoon over a week or two, usually starting in late
September and early October. With prolonged periods of successive cloudless days, the
Winter Monsoon weather features a less strong, east or northeast breeze that is cooler
and drier compared to summer southwest monsoon.
Prevailing Winds
The winds that blow predominantly from a single general direction are called the
Prevailing winds. It is the trade winds of the tropic that blows from the east throughout the
year. The global patterns of movement in the Earth's atmosphere sometimes affect a
region's prevailing and dominant winds. The dominant winds are the trends in direction of
the wind with the highest speed over a particular point on the Earth's surface. These
winds vary at different latitudes on Earth due to the factors such as uneven heating from
the Sun and the Earth's rotation.
In addition, the westerlies or the prevailing westerlies are the prevailing winds from
the west toward the east. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse
latitudes and trend towards the poles and steer extratropical cyclones in this general
manner.
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Tropical Design
Tropical architecture is a type of green construction designed primarily for tropical
conditions, to reduce energy use, notably cooling loads, through design. During the rainy
season, these architectural ideas allow windows in a building to stay open for natural
ventilation. It is known as the intentional arrangement of elements in buildings and
structures to respond to specific weather, sun, and climatic conditions typical in the Tropic
Region.
A type of green building applicable specifically for tropical climates can be
regarded as Tropical architecture. It uses design to optimally reduce buildings’ energy
consumption, particularly the cooling load. The tropical architecture goal is to achieve
thermal comfort through the use of design elements, such as sunshades, cavity walls,
light shelves, overhangs, roof, and wall insulation, and even shading from trees.
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The design principles of tropical architecture include regional evaluation, climatic
elements, site selection, sol-air orientation, solar control on the environment and building,
forms, wind effects, and airflow patterns, thermal effects of materials, and heliothermic
planning. Some of the key elements for optimizing natural ventilation to cool tropical
buildings are maximum cross ventilation, natural lighting, louvers, and natural materials.
Characteristics of Tropical Climates
In the Köppen climate classification, Tropical climate is one of the five major
climate groups. They are characterized by monthly average temperatures of 18 ℃ or
higher year-round and also features hot temperatures. Tropical climates often show a
seasonal rhythm to varying degrees and annual precipitation is also abundant. A wet
season and a dry season are normally the only two seasons in tropical climates. The
sunlight is intense and the annual temperature range in tropical climates is normally very
small.
Tropical rainforest climate, tropical monsoon climate, and tropical wet and dry or
savanna climate are the three basic types of tropical climates within the tropical climate
group. They are classified and distinguished by the annual precipitation and the
precipitation level of the driest month in those regions.
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Designs and Objectives For Tropical Climates
• DESIGN OBJECTIVES FOR TROPICAL CLIMATE
Philippines is a tropical country composed of islands that is besides the Pacific-
ocean and because of this scientific research says that mostly low- pressure areas
formulate in the oceans and the tendency is our country would be the first one to be hit
by the typhoons. Climate has a major effect on building performance and energy
consumption and it is very alarming today that our current country suffers from different
kind of natural phenomenon which they say is beyond normal. Consecutive rains and
floods are our major disaster the Filipinos faced.
Tropical architecture works to achieve thermal comfort through the use of design
elements, such as sunshades, cavity walls, light shelves, overhangs, roof and wall
insulation and even shading from trees.
• DESIGN CONSIDERATION FOR TROPICAL CLIMATE
Why do we need a design consideration? The design considerations are
formulated to bring the attention of the architects as well as designers in applying the
universal accessibility design principles and requirements to buildings and facilities. They
can also be used to identify barriers in existing buildings. Design consideration is needed
to recognize and analyze the design problem because designs must perform well under
expected and worst-case conditions. Here is the list of design considerations for tropical
climate:
1. Sun Study
Orienting the house towards the sun comes with its benefits and weaknesses. As
disadvantages make people take a second thought before making a decision, therefore,
in this situation designers try to find a balance between plusses and minuses. The optimal
solution that they try to reach is to use weaknesses in their favor. As a result, they are
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working innovatively and cleverly in a building’s design process to achieve energy
efficiency.
2. Form
The design of your forms will impact the overall user experience. If a user gets
frustrated with your form or it's not clear what they need to do, you risk the chance of
them leaving your site or abandoning their order. The form is one of the primary
considerations for passive design when the objective is to provide superlative thermal
comfort to the user and protection of both, the living spaces and the external areas for a
hot, windy and often, humid environment.
3. Orientation
The aim of orientation is to encourage clustered arrangements for heat absorption
and shading opportunities. Another passive design strategy concentrated into the design
along with the form is the orientation of a building being influenced by the varying amount
of solar radiation falling on different sides of the building at different times of the day. The
orientation of the building along with the directions of the prevailing winds for optimum
cross-ventilation and cooling of the structure is another factor to look at and consider.
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4. Openings
Openings are critical in a building but the location and size of which vary with the
geographical targets are also consider when being the determinant of breathability of a
building primarily through the exchange of air. This is to be made sure that the wind
entering the house is not passing over hot surfaces and that the openings are large and
operable yet manageable when it comes to rain, insects, and other gears of nature.
5. Vegetation
In urban areas, they reduce noise pollution, since they absorb noise from vehicles
and other elements. They also prevent the bounce of sound waves on the surface of the
facades of the building. They act therefore as acoustic screens. The vegetation captures
and regulates rainwater and its runoff.
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6. Shading
Access to daylight and its entry through the openings, shading devices are
essential environmental controls that greatly reduce the need for mechanical heating and
cooling systems can be very useful to limit the heat gain.
7. Glazing
The process of installing glass in windows or walls is called Interior glazing. The
glass itself can be tempered, laminated, low iron, or LCD. It can also be single-glazed,
consisting of a single pane of glass, or double-glazed, consisting of two panes of glass
with space in between.
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8. Thermal mass
Thermal mass is the capacity of a material to store heat energy. For a climate as
hot and humid as the kind found in the tropical zones, the thermal mass of material is
useful because it can absorb and store heat. It can be used for passive heating and
cooling.
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CONLUSION
o With all the things considered, exploring the elements, factors, and
concepts of climatic design gives us the advantage and background
knowledge for what to consider when making a design in a tropical climatic
region such as the country of the Philippines.
o When taking neighboring buildings and close surroundings into
consideration in building formation it is necessary to find the right solutions
for settlement and design in terms of climate utilization and protection.
o One of the main principles of architecture is to create and provide an
environment that provides comfortable spaces for the users.
o It is not only about how to meet the comfort and requirements of the users,
but also the design that is in compliance with climate.
o It is significant to find the terms of sustainable energy maintenance for living
and environmental issues because they create and provide high-quality
interior spaces by using minimum resources.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The illustrations about the concepts of climatic design should be noted always
since it is very important part of the study. It will help us organize and
conceptualize in a faster and better.
2. We should always mind the tropical climates in designing a building because it
plays an important role for the environment.
3. Since the study shows importance about process and shading systems, I think
it is always better if we find time to practice it in a place where we will be able to
focus and then create a design as an exercise.
4. With regards to the objectives and considerations, based on my opinion, I think
having extra research about it will be a great help for us to execute it in the plan
better because those are really important part of the solutions.
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