An Examination of the relationship between climate, culture and built form with special reference to hot-humid climate

Abstract

It is the need for protection form climate that compelled man to build shelter. Since t h e m , his endless thirst for comfort evolved this basic skeleton into new forms thus creating architecture. Human comfort is identified as physical comfort and psychological comfort. These two are closely linked with each other. Physical comfort facilitates psychological comfort. Therefore achieving physical comfort has a close relationship with climatic response of a built environment, which is manifested by climate responsive design strategies. Strategy is the art of planning the way to achieve some thing or to be successful in a particular field. The term strategy is used to mean a list of actions taken by a designer, in order to transform an initial brief into a final design. In any field, not only in architecture, people have advocated strategic methods to achieve best results there fore climate responsive design strategies in architecture are list of methods or combination of design decisions that one can intend to use to achieve best results in the field or architecture, if a specific climatic condition. The unique climatic conditions and comfort-needs, along with other sociocultural factors create unique forms and unique places throughout t h e world. "Climate is clearly one of the prime factors in culture, and the refore built form. It is the mainspring for all the sensual qualities that add up to a vital tropical architecture." Tan Hock Beng (1994: 13) Climate is t h e most important factor that brings unique characteristics to different regions of the planet earth. For example Alaska is different form Africa due to its unique climate. There fore the culture is also should be unique in those unique places, which generate unique built form. Climate responsive design strategies should contribute immensely to enhance the culture of those places. Therefore the essay would be an attempt to combine the qualitative aspect ( Uniqueness of place) along with the quantitative aspects (climate) of architecture.