COMPOSITE CLIMATE

1. ORIENTATION  Building should be located preferably in north east and south west directions
 This helps in receiving less radiations and more natural light and ventilation.
 Sometimes Orient the buildings with the long axes in the east-west direction also beneficial.
 South: maximum solar radiation during winters.
 East and West: maximum solar radiation during summer.
 West: high intensity of solar radiation
 And finally the depending upon the windward and leeward orientation fenestration could be
designed to integrate natural ventilation
2. FORM AND PLANNING  The physiological objectives set out for warm-humid and hot-dry climates apply to 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 body, especially at night.
 Moderately compact internal planning of houses will be of benefit for most of the year.
Courtyard type buildings are very suitable.
 Houses with separate day and night rooms, which were suggested for hot-dry regions, are
equally good for composite climates, except that they would only be used during the hottest
months.
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3. BUILT FORM  Buildings should be grouped in such a way as to take advantage of prevailing breezes during
the short period when air movement is necessary.
 A moderately dense, low rise development is suitable for these climates, which will ensure
protection of out-door spaces, mutual shading of external walls, shelter from the wind in the
cold season, shelter from dust and reduction of surfaces exposed to solar radiation.
 Built form, which is designed such that it is self-shaded through massing or articulation
results in sheltered built forms, and cuts off a large amount of direct solar radiation. In
composite climate, the envelope should be designed so that it remains shaded for the greater
part of the day; the external walls should be so planned that they shade each other.
4. STREET TYPE  Trees provide visual relief and a psychological barrier from traffic and thus reduce pollution
on the site.
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5. EXTERNAL SPACE  Large projecting eaves and wide verandahs are needed in the warm-humid season as out-
door living areas, to reduce sky glare, keep out the rain and provide shade, They can also be
an asset in the dry seasons.
 For the dry seasons controlled landscape and enclosure walls are necessary to provide
protection against dust and thermal winds. They are no great disadvantage in the wet season.
 The high rainfall makes it easier to maintain vegetation around buildings, thereby reducing
 dust.
 A courtyard is the most pleasant out-door space for most of the year, because it excludes the
wind and traps the sun.
 Deciduous plants can serve a useful purpose. Courtyards may even be covered by a pergola,
carrying deciduous creepers. These would provide shade in the hot season but admit the sun
in the 'winter'.
 Large openings in opposite walls are suitable which helps in cross ventilation.
6. VENTILATION  Natural ventilation can get through tall spaces like stacks, chimneys etc. in a building. With
openings near the top of stacks warm air can escape whereas cooler air enters the building
from openings near the ground.
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7. ROOM ARRANGEMENT  Plan the building around the courtyard
 Courtyard should be designed in such a way so as to allow sun penetration during the winter
months, but provides shading in the hot season.
 A massive courtyard floor surrounded by a building provides cooling, primarily by radiation to
the cool and clear night sky.
 The best way is to keep the courtyard shaded and only partially open to sky.
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8. FOUNDATIONS, BASEMENTS AND FLOORS  High plinth is provided to prevent the rainwater for coming inside the building.
 Water absorbs relatively large amounts of radiation. It also allows evaporative cooling. As a
result, during the daytime areas around water bodies are generally cooler. At night, however,
water bodies release relatively large amounts of heat to the surroundings.
9. WALLS  Insulated walls are preferable
 External walls should be constructed of solid masonry.
 Walls work as an insulator of heat so that they don't allow heat to attack inside the building
in summers and to spread outside from the inside in winters. That is why thickness of walls
are provided more than usual at some places.
 Resistance insulation should be placed at the outside surfaces of external walls or roofs.
Insulation on the inside would only reduce the beneficial effects of high thermal capacity of
walls.
 Cavity walls or composite walls are also very helpful in controlling the heat transfer from
outside to inside the building.
 Jails on the outer facade of the building helps in cooling, shading and ventilation.
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10. WINDOWS  Reasonably large openings in opposite walls are suitable, preferably 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 season.
  To reduce the humidity and for ventilation openings are provided large in numbers.
 Recessed windows to reduce external solar heat gain
 Two small openings, one at high level and one at low level
 A small inlet opening with a large outlet provides the largest air velocity. The best
arrangement is full wall openings on both the sides.
11. SHADING TECHNIQUES  Shading of walls is desirable but not critical.
 Deep porches and verandas: These are excellent at reducing the solar heat gain in a building
because they completely shade the walls. They also cut the solar intensity creating cool
spaces even without plants or shrubs.
 Sun-proof fabric covers: For porches, or sails these can be attached to the building itself, and
are a good seasonal solution. It is possible to get fabrics and shade cloth that cut out more
than 95% of sunlight, and have guarantees of 20 years’ minimum lifespan.
 Vertical shading is the most advisable form of shading to cut the intensive solar heat gains for
east and west walls especially in summer.
 Window shades should cut off sun in the summer but allow the sun in the under heated
period. Further, the window section should enhance air velocity while still acting as shade.
This could be achieved either by introducing a planter at the window sill or else by adding
smaller shades at the glazing.
 light shelves.
 It is preferable to design movable external shading devices on East and West facades, so that
the shades could be removed after sun faces opposite orientation.
12. ROOFS  Provided that the roof has a low transmittance value and a good thermal capacity
 Roofs and external walls should, be constructed of solid masonry or concrete
 Insulated roof is preferred
 Roof pond system can be used as insulator.
 terrace gardens.
 Roofs should also be properly insulated so as to minimize heat transfer from the roof to the
inside of the building. Provision of adequate rainwater drainage is also essential in this
climate.
 The roof pond building type, the passive collector Storage mass has been relocated, from the
Floor & wall of building into the roof for radiant heat distribution.
 Placed at the outer surface of walls and roofs and helps retain cool in summer heat in winter.
 Shading of roof through design features like pergolas or solar photovoltaic panels helps in
reducing the incident direct solar radiation on the roof surface.
 This in turn helps to reduce the air temperature of the roof and conduction gains in the space
below.
 It is observed using software simulations that shading of roof has equal potential in reducing
the cooling energy consumption to that of an insulated roof.
  Along with shading of roof, solar passive design also recommends cool roof. Cool roofs are
roofs covered with a reflective coating that has high emissivity property which is very
effective in reflecting the sun ‘s energy away from the roof surface.
 This quality greatly helps in reducing the cooling load that needs to be met by the HVAC
system. Combination of insulated roof with cool roof has high saving energy potential.
13. COULOUR AND TEXTURE  The external surfaces should be painted in medium tone colors.
 Large projecting eaves and wide verandas are needed in composite climate as out-door living
areas, to reduce sky glare, keep out the rain and provide shades.
14. CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES  Ventilation: Good natural ventilation requires locating openings in opposite pressure zones.
Natural ventilation can also be enhanced through tall spaces like stacks, chimneys etc. in a
building. With openings near the top of stacks warm air can escape whereas cooler air enters
the building from openings near the ground.
 Wind tower: In a wind tower, the hot air enters the tower through the openings in the tower
gets cooled, and this become 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. The tower wall absorbs heat during daytime and
releases it at night, warming the cool night air in the tower.
 Courtyard effects: 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 flows. 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 atmosphere moisture occurs on the roof and
the gain due to condensation limits further cooling.
 Earth air tunnels: Daily and annual temperature fluctuation decreases with the increase in
depth below the ground surface. At a depth of about 4m 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 4m below the ground will acquire the same temperature as the surrounding
earth at its surface and 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.
 Passive downdraught cooling: 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.
 WATER BODIES:
  Water absorbs relatively large amounts of radiation. It also allows evaporative cooling. As a
result, during the daytime areas around water bodies are generally cooler. At night, however,
water bodies release relatively large amounts of heat to the surroundings.
 Location of water bodies: Water is a good modifier of micro-climate. It takes up large amount
of heat in evaporation and causes significant cooling.
 Water has a moderating effect on the air temperature of the micro climate.
 It possesses very high thermal storage capacity much higher than the building materials like
Brick, concrete, stone.
 Large bodies of water in the form of lake, river, and fountain generally have a moderating
effect on the temperature of the surrounding area due to the higher thermal storage capacity
of water compared to land and cause variations in airflow.
 During the day the air is hotter over the land and rises, drawing cooler air in from the water
mass resulting in land breezes.
 During the night as the land mass cools quicker, the airflow will be reversed. Water
evaporation has a cooling effect in the surroundings. In humid climates, water should be
avoided as it adds humidity
 Fountain to flow over extensive surfaces to maximize evaporation. Water evaporation has a
cooling effect in the surroundings.
15. CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS  The general building materials: Brick & Stone masonry. Concrete slab, stone wall of 400-500
mm in thickness.
16. LANDSCAPE  Deciduous trees, creepers and vines provide shade when needed and also allow the sun rays
to penetrate inside in the cool season when they loose their foliage.
 Planting deciduous trees on the southern side of a building is beneficial in a composite
climate. Deciduous plants such as mulberry or champa cut off direct sun during summer, and
as these trees shed leaves in winter, they allow the sun to heat the building in winter which is
suitable in composite climate.
 The use of dense trees and shrub plantings on the west and northwest sides of a building will
block the summer setting sun.