It is said there is no clear right or wrong in architectural design. But there is. And it's quite easy to tell.
Image source: manoramaonline.com
Myth - Good architecture is quite subjective.
Fact - Not quite.
Good architecture and good aesthetics aren't the same thing. The latter can be subjective.
Ideal - Form & function coexist.
Reality - Rarely.
Once we get aesthetics out of the way, we are left only with the physical functions that each space must serve for the building to be functional - maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures and providing ample natural ventilation. This is where good architecture (not to mention client awareness) is essential.
Good architecture is functional
So what exactly is good architecture? Can all functional buildings be considered as having good architecture?
To a certain extent, yes. A more correct way to say this would be, "All functional buildings are well designed." But obviously if buildings and spaces had to be only functional, we wouldn't need architects in the first place. Every engineer who has the basic skills necessary can build a perfectly functional building. There is, however, an additional value that a good architect, and good architectural design, brings. This value may be experienced through aesthetics, function and many other tangible and intangible features. That is a whole different topic altogether, and is beyond the scope of this discussion.
But what if the building is non-functional, despite having been designed by architects? If this sounds unreal and improbable, unfortunately it isn't. And to add to the horror, these non-functional buildings are being promoted (in architecture magazines, no less!) as being well designed!
Non-functional architecture is everywhere
Image sources: author, 'Ente bhavanam' magazine, manoramaonline.com
The houses pictured above are typical examples of poorly functioning buildings, and easily represent hundreds, if not thousands, of similar projects spread across Kerala today.
So what exactly are the problems in the design of these houses?
For starters, they are exposed to the sun throughout the day. Wait, so aren't all buildings exposed to the sun all day? Well, yes, but the roofs here absorb much of the heat, and pass it on to the walls below. During hot days (of which there are many), the roof and walls get extremely heated up, to the point where they can't release this stored heat to the outside environment even after the sun has set. This is mainly because of two reasons.
Every building should breathe
The first is the lack of openings between the roof and walls for hot air to escape out through. These openings, when provided, enable the heated up internal air to escape out and let the cooler outside air enter inside through the windows and openings at lower heights. This principle is known as the ‘stack effect’ in ventilation. The building can let in cooler air from the outside only if the hot air inside can escape out through the top. By not providing these essential ventilators & openings, we are effectively choking the building and its occupants. The building should in fact, be allowed to breathe.
Thermal Mass - Less Is More
The second reason for uncomfortable interiors is the high heat retention of the concrete roof and plastered painted walls, which take an extremely long time to cool down after sunset, whereas it is already much cooler and pleasant outside. On typical summer evenings and nights, temperatures generally hover around the mid-twenties (degrees Celsius) in a region like Kerala with a tropical humid climate. The walls and concrete roof, however take a very long time to release their heat gained over the day because of the thermal properties of their materials. The building is then technically termed as having a high thermal mass.
This is akin to wearing thick winter clothing in the hot summer. Absolutely pointless. In a humid tropical climate, wear light clothing, use light building materials. Simple.
But of course it isn’t that simple; there are a few other factors that make buildings less or more comfortable to use. Such as the presence of shade by way of other elements - high vegetation, tall trees, adjacent construction or the like. However the two factors - ventilation and thermal mass - should be considered the most important in practical usage.
Now when we combine these two factors, i.e. a lack of ventilation and a high thermal mass of the building, we get a really compromised design, to put it mildly. The result is that on typical hot days the occupants of a house such as this would need to turn up their air-conditioning quite high just to maintain a comfortable indoor room temperature (ceiling fans and other fans are useful only if the internal hot air can be let out, otherwise they become insufficient). The use of air-conditioning in poorly functioning buildings therefore becomes a foregone conclusion; making the building consume more energy.
Covered terraces with metal roofing sheets –
A stop-gap solution
A few common reasons cited by house owners in Kerala for installing additional metal roofing sheets above their concrete terrace slabs are; gaining a covered terrace with reduced waterproofing requirements, reducing the heat-gain (by direct sunlight) of the terrace slab and getting additional leisure space.
But this is mostly done as an afterthought, usually without the architect’s input. Nevertheless, it is an effective solution – reducing the overall heat-gain and achieving a cooler indoor temperature – for an avoidable problem.
The most important point to be noted here is that the additional metal roof installed above the roof slab also gains a lot of heat, but all of it is let out through the open space between the terrace floor and the metal roofing. It is this letting out of the heated up indoor air that creates more room for cooler air to enter in through the windows & openings. But remember, installing metal sheets is generally an afterthought, and is not an ideal solution.
The solution - Get the basics right
For a building located in a tropical humid climate region, the ideal solution is to design right from the get-go with its roof and walls having a low thermal mass, along with sufficient openings and gaps between the roof and walls to allow good airflow and ventilation through them. This would undoubtedly achieve what can be definitively termed as good and functional architecture for the humid tropics.
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