Streetscapes and climate
While walking through a Goan street, one can easily identify the blend of tropical heat and the calming sloping roof. This is an apt representation of how architecture is designed as a response to the sun and wind patterns of a place or region. Over time, these patterns of sun and wind define a place’s climate. Taking a walk in different cities itself is a spatial experience.
In coastal places like Goa, Kochi, Varkala, or Alleppey, the use of sloping roofs with Mangalore tiles to drain heavy rainfall is evident. Deep verandahs and steep slopes characterize the streets aesthetically and functionally. It is quite appropriate to conclude that design style is the first reflection of climate-responsive architecture.
Materials reflecting the vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture follows climate-responsive principles in many ways, such as using locally available materials, arranging spaces to encourage natural cooling and shading, and employing local skilled labor.
Use of locally quarried laterite can be seen in Goan homes, which is porous and breathable, comforting the inhabitant in a tropical humid region. Local materials always come up as a solution for building something that stands as a comfortable shelter for its users.
The use of stone in construction in hot and dry regions of India, like Rajasthan, is a successful representation of vernacular architecture. Sandstone also gives a warm texture to the cityscape of various cities of Rajasthan. Be it stone Jaali, which lets hot air pass through its small patterns and cools it by the funnel effect, or small arched windows that perform the same function of cooling the air entering the building.
Spatial organisation and climate
A built space that invites nature through skylights, courtyards, atriums, verandah is much livelier and appealing to spend time in. Let’s say someone is visiting a museum, and he moves around compact corridors, passages, and rooms without any outstanding windows or striking elements; he would not want to take the complete tour of the museum.
On the other hand, if someone visits a museum with a wide green courtyard at the entrance designed with fountains, it will instantly lift up the visitor’s mood and encourage him to take a tour inside. When a museum’s design includes arched pathways with sunlight entering through well-designed windows into galleries, and skylights that frame views of the blue sky above, the visitor enjoys circulation throughout the building. Transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces could be interesting if elements like narrow or wide openings, arched passages, verandahs, and courtyards are infused with the play of sunlight and sky. For multi-storey buildings, features like an atrium can be a refreshing experience.
One such example of stimulating circulation in a public building is Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The whole circulation in and around this art centre is planned such that you either descend down the sunken open-to-sky courtyards or follow the path of terraces that ultimately step down towards a lake. Art galleries surround the courtyards, allowing the visitor to receive the cool air passing through the void in the centre. Courtyards act as shading spaces in the warm climate of Bhopal and also bring people into direct connectivity with the sky above and greenery below their footsteps.
Globalized aesthetics and declining regional Identity of Architecture
Architectural identity starts being generalized when aspects like material usage, facade design, spatial planning, and even landscaping are imitated without considering the climatic conditions and natural environment. People around start losing a sense of relating to the environment.
For instance, a city with heavy rainfall and a humid climate won’t handle flat concrete roofs well. However, intervention in designing sloping roofs for contemporary buildings in such regions will function well.
Similarly, designing buildings with thermally insulating materials instead of imitating glass facades in hot and dry regions will function well and serve as a sustainable solution.
Climate and indigenous architecture
Bamboo as a material is a perfect reflection of indigenous architecture in tropical Asian countries. Unlike tall glass towers, skyscrapers, and concrete buildings, bamboo housing units, pavilions and resorts are built in the Philippines, Indonesia, Bali and a few other countries, forming a native cityscape that feels very organic and sustainable.
It not only feels sustainable, but possesses qualities making it an eco-friendly material. The life cycle of bamboo is 4-7 years, making it a regenerative material for architectural design. For a very humble and grounding experience, in proximity to nature and a relaxing ambience, bamboo structures come up as a flexible yet strong alternative. For earthquake-prone countries like the Philippines, bamboo is an economical option as it is not easily affected by tremors and it bends first before collapsing.
Architectural design can evolve, and indigenous architecture can be incorporated into modern designs with materials like bamboo.
When someone intentionally designs by respecting the natural conditions, heritage and culture, the built form itself stands in harmony with the surroundings.
