Climate-responsive architecture: Cold and dry climate.
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As the regions move away from the equator it starts to get cooler and colder, due to the distant sun rays. The northern and southern hemispheres are the regions that are extremely cold as they are farther from the sun and the solar radiations to these polar spots are weak The northern part of the world has a higher percentage of the colder regions due to the rise in the altitude.
India is home to an extraordinary variety of climatic regions, the nation’s climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar desert.
In this blog, we will be discussing in detail the climate-responsive architecture in the cold and dry climate.
The practice of designing buildings and structures by utilizing the data of the region's weather patterns and accounts for factors like seasonality, the intensity of the sun, wind, rainfall, and humidity.
The goal of the architecture is to create a comfortable interior while reducing the building's reliance on artificial energy and to control the environmental harm caused during the construction process.
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Characteristics of Cold and Dry climate are as follows:
Temperature:
Summer - 20 to 30°C
Winter - -3 to 8°C
Solar Radiation:
Very Low
Humidity
Very low (it is hard to support vegetation)
Precipitation
Roughly 51.7 inches annually.
Essential features to be included in a construction design:
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- Sloping roof
- Windows with wooden panels
- Timber paneled walls instead of bricks and stones
- South-west is the ideal placement for bedrooms
- South-east side for kitchen
- Southside for dining area
- Including features supporting natural light
- Timber based flooring
- Cross-ventilation
- Try including greeneries in the surrounding
Some essential design criteria for cold and dry climate:
- Increase thermal capacity
- Increase thermal resistance
- Increase buffer space
- Thicker walls
- Airlocks/lobbies
- Reduce shading
- Utilize heat from appliances
- Use trees as wind barriers
- The vertical staging of buildings ensures the sunlight to all individual houses
- Include courtyards
By now we are very well aware of the importance of climate-responsive architecture and why it is strictly followed in the design.
Regions with cold and dry climates in India are Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Leh, etc.
Eastern and central North America, China, Japan, Korea, Russia, and several other places have cold and dry climates.
As a part of the climate-responsive architecture, aim of the architect will be to design and construct buildings capable enough to trap heat for a longer time and withstand the climate cold harsh climate.
Climate-responsive architecture is very much necessary to create a sustainable and harmonious usage of the building constructed.