Key challenges to the incorporation of climatic design knowledge in contemporary tropical architecture

Climate is inseparable from the environmental context of the built environment. It determines the nature and severity of the environmental forces that impinge on the building envelope and influences the soil as well as the flora and fauna of the surroundings. Climate also influences the social milieu in which design occurs: the all inclusive concept of “culture” is heavily influenced by climate and is woven around the seasons, extremes and variations in weather parameters. In most cases, the building’s brief (i.e. programme) does (or at least ought to) reflect the climatic context in which the building is created. Economy of design can only occur if the built environment works WITH climate and not AGAINST it.