Working as an architect gives you the opportunity to take the world in the forward direction. It enables us to move away from the designs of the past and create something new. As architects, the primary objective is to protect their users from the dynamic conditions of our environment. A well-designed building is supposed to shield its occupants from unpleasant outdoor conditions, such as excessive heat, cold, wind, and rain. The structure should maximize indoor comfort with minimal energy consumption.
Each region has its own difficulties. In tropical regions, the primary task is to decrease the amount of sun that heats the building. In these regions, a building should be energy efficient and provide year-round comfort to its occupants with less mechanical cooling. Optimizing the thermal performance of buildings in hot climates must take into account the structure’s orientation and shape, along with construction designs, paint and materials.
ORIENTATION
A structure’s orientation greatly influences the impact of the sun and wind on the dwelling. Orienting the largest dimension of the building in the cardinal directions can significantly reduce a building’s solar exposure. The windows facing the prevailing wind will maximize cross-ventilation of the rooms. Proper orientation of a building will provide occupants comfortable living by decreasing the amount of sun that cooks the building in the summer.
INSULATION
Insulation acts as a barrier to heat flow and is essential for keeping your home warm in winter and cold in summer. To keep the heat out or in, insulation must cater for seasonal as well as daily variations in temperature. Insulation can help with weather proofing. Reflective insulation mainly resists radiant heat flow due to its high reflectivity and low emissivity and is suitable for summer season.
DESIGN
In hot climatic regions, the courtyard designs of buildings help minimize the solar radiation impact from the outside walls by creating a cool, shaded area within the building. It also gives the structure added safety and privacy. Room arrangement is also a consideration in hot climates. North facing rooms have good daylight most of the day and may require shading to prevent overheating. Consider putting non – liveable spaces on the west side where the sun’s impact is greatest.
VENTILATION
Designing for natural ventilation is the key for reducing human dependence on air conditioning. Cooling through natural ventilation demands a good exposure of the building and its windows to the dominant breezes. One way to ensure natural ventilation is to minimize the building footprint. Also, using glazing with a double paned glass and low-e coating minimize the amount of heat transmitted into the space in the hottest months.
EXTERIOR SURFACE
The absorption of solar heat can be greatly reduced by reflective wall surfaces. If the external surfaces of the building are painted with such colours that reflect solar radiation, Nippon Paint’s WeatherBond Advanced has an innovative heat ban technology that reflects back 90% of the sun-rays and reduces the surface temperature. In hot environments, materials of lower thermal capacity can be used as cavity walls to reduce the heat experienced in the interiors.