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Environmental Physics 1
Lecture 2 part 1: Climatic elements
 Architecture and aesthetics

It goes without saying that all architects aspire to

the creation of beautiful buildings. But a
fundamental weakness in most discussions of
architectural aesthetics is a failure to relate it to its
matrix of experiential reality.

J.M. Fitch (1999)

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 Art and architecture …and climate

This famous building is praised based largely on this photograph,

yet little data is given on the actual environmental conditions at
the hot Spanish afternoon
(source: Fitch, 1998)

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 Climate and architecture

We must begin by taking note of the countries and

climates in which homes are to be built if our design
for them are to be correct. One type of house
seems appropriate for Egypt, another for
Spain…one still different from Rome…It is obvious
that design for homes ought to conform to
diversities of climate.

Vitruvius
Architect, first century B.C.

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 Climate and architecture : Guess where?

Los Angeles Kuala Lumpur

Kobe, Japan

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 Climate and architecture

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 Climate and architecture

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 Climate and architecture

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 Climate and architecture

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 Climate and architecture

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 Weather and Climate
Weather

Weather: Is the instantaneous state of the

atmosphere, or the sequence of the states
of the atmosphere as time passes.

Climate

Climate: states of the atmosphere at a place

experienced in the course of years and over
the years of some large but finite time
interval.

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 Weather and Climate
•According to World
Meteorological Organization
(WMO) the basic climatic time
scale is 30-year period.
•Because the climate is changing
rapidly nowadays, climate are
sometimes re-calculated every
10 years for the period of the
recent 30 years, i.e. 1961 - 1990,
1971 - 2000,

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 Climate of The world

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 Climate of The world

Polar/Cold climate
Average -15˚C, minimum -40˚C
Relative humidity high in winter
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 Climate of The world

Temperate Climate
Milder winter. Large seasonal variations. Over heating in
summer (25˚C), over cooling in winter (-15˚C)
Low humidity. Rain any time, snow in winter
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 Climate of The world

Arid/ Hot dry climate

Overheating. Summer mean 25˚C, max over 45˚C,
Large diurnal variations (drop -10˚C at night). Humidity is
low. Strong wind. Sand dust problem
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Sahara, Africa. Mexico.
 Climate of The world

Tropical/ Hot humid Climate

Problems overheating and high humidity. Temperature
above 20˚C. Humidity high 80%. Monthly rainfall high

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 Elements of climate
• How does climate affected comfort and
building design? In order to answer this question you must
know the elements of climate.

• Elements of climate
– Air temperature
– Humidity
– Wind
– Solar radiation
– Precipitation
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 Air temperature
• Stevenson Screens: White
painted louvered box (air
temperatuer. Ait temperature in
the shade.
• Thermometers at 1.2-1.8m
above ground
• Measuring daily max (day) and
daily min (night), then averaged
monthly

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 Air temperature
• Determined by the rate of cooling/heating of the
surface of the earth
• Transparent to almost all solar radiation
• During the day, in contact to ground, heated by
conduction, then transferred to upper layers by
convection
• During night/winter, land is colder, air is cooled.
• Land heated and cooled more quickly than water,
therefore, air temperature on land is higher in
summer/day and colder in winter/night than the sea

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 Air temperature
• Cooler at higher altitude. As air rises (e.g. up a
mountain), it expand, thus cooled (adiabatic cooling).
(about 1C per 100 meter)
• Wind could also cause air to migrate. Therefore air
from the tropics may cause higher temperature towards
the poles, whilst air from the poles will lower the
prevailing condition air temperature.

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 Humidity
• Atmospheric humidity – water
vapour content of atmosphere
• More practical to use relative
humidity
• Measured Indirectly using dry
bulb and wet bulb, then derive
relative humidity from
psychrometric chart
• Directly- Hygrometer. Using
human hair

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 Humidity
• Ability to contain water depends on air
temperature; warmer air can contain more water
• Highest in the equatorial zone
• Absolute humidity : Weight of water vapour per
unit volume of air (g/m3)
• Specific humidity : weight of water vapour per unit
weight of air (g/kg)
• Vapour pressure : Part of the whole atmospheric
pressure that is due to water vapour (or mercury
mm Hg) 1 Pascal = 0.0075 mmHg

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 Humidity – In Building

• Human comfort
• Condensation
• Leads to dampness
and mold/fungus

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 Solar radiation
• Radiation from sun
(electromagnetic wave)
• Ultra violets (<0.4mic),
visible, infra red(>0.76mic)
• 50% heat by infra red
radiation
• UV rays absorbed by ozone.
i.e. absorbed by water
vapour and Co2

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 Solar radiation

• Sunshine duration: Numbers of

hours of bright sunshine in a day
(average monthly). Use Sunshine
recorder

• Energy content: Watts per meter

square (W/m2) – Use
solarimeter

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 Solar radiation
• The sun radiates mostly in
the visible band, but also
in the ultraviolet (shorter
wavelength).
• only 51% of the solar
radiation striking the earth
and its atmosphere is
absorbed at the surface.
• The atmosphere absorbs
19% of incoming solar
radiation and the
remaining 30% is reflected
back into space.

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 Solar radiation
• The shortest wavelengths
of solar radiation (those
most dangerous to life) are
absorbed by molecules in
the upper and middle
atmosphere.
• Ozone selectively absorbs
ultraviolet radiation while
allowing visible radiation to
pass through relatively
unhindered.

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 Solar radiation
• If the earth did not have
an atmosphere, surface
temperatures would be
too cold to sustain life. If
too many gases which
absorb and emit infrared
radiation were present
in the atmosphere,
surface temperatures
would be too hot to
sustain life.

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 Solar radiation
Greenhouse gases causes green
house effect
•The major natural greenhouse gases are
•water vapor, which causes about 36-70%
of the greenhouse effect on Earth (not
including clouds);
•carbon dioxide, which causes 9-26%;
methane, which causes 4-9%, and ozone,
which causes 3-7%

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 Solar radiation

• Daylighting
– Can save energy
– Pleasant to occupants
– Need to Control heat and
glare

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 Solar radiation

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 Solar radiation
• Solar Heat gain
– Cause heating, discomfort
– Use more energy to air condition
– Can be minimized by shading
external wall of building
– In cold country, solar heat gain is
good (in residential building)

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 Solar radiation
• Solar Shading
– External and internal shading
– External shading more
effective

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 Solar radiation
•Radiant barrier
•The barriers consist of a
highly reflective material that
reflects radiant heat rather
than absorbing it. They don't,
however, reduce heat
conduction like thermal
insulation materials.
•Roof Insulation
•Material with very low
conductivity – wool, minreal
wool, styrofoam
 Solar radiation
• Solar energy
– Solar thermal energy
– Solar energy to
HEAT

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 Solar radiation
• Solar energy
– Photovoltaic
– Converting solar energy to
ELECTRICITY
– Building Integrated
Photovoltaic (BIPV)

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 Wind

Wind is the rough horizontal movement of air

caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface.

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 Global wind systems
•Wind is the rough horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air
current) caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface.

•The trade winds

•Originated in sub-tropics,
moving towards equatorial belt
at 15-45km/h

•The westerlies
•Originate at sub-tropics,
towards sub-arctics

•The Polar winds

•From cold air masses
spreading from the poles.
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 Winds
•Monsoon winds
•change their directions seasonally, originate
from the temperature difference of the land
and the sea.
•the warm season they blow towards the land,
in the cold season towards the sea. The
monsoon name is typically used for the winds
of the Indian Sea.
•January – From central Asia south westerly
and change direction to south easterly when
reach north Australia
•In June it is reversed

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 Land and sea breezes

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 Mountin and Valley winds

• Air near the mountain

heated up quickly
than air around it
• Day- wind up the
mountain, Night- wind
go down mountain
slope

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 Wind

• Important to measure
speed and direction
• Speed by
anemometer cup
• Direction by wind
vane

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 Wind
• Frequency
distribution
• 1 knots =
0.54km/h

Arc3600 www.climate.washington.edu/climate.html
 Wind
• ‘wind rose’ diagram
shows average wind
speed and direction
data
• Shows % of period
when certain wind
speed exceeded for
compass point
direction

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 Winds
•Effects on buildings –
•Ventilation
•energy losses (air-conditioned)
•structural damages
•potential danger area
•Source of energy

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 Winds
•Ventilation – Cross ventilation
•Provide comfort by forced
convection

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 Winds
•In cold climate, buildings are
heated, ventilation caused cold air
to enter, hot air to escape
•In hot climate, buildings are air-
conditioned. Ventilation cause cold
air to escape and hot air to enter
•More energy are used than
necessary

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 Winds
•Very strong wind can cause structural damage

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 Winds
BEAUFORT SCALE

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 Winds
•Potential dangers
•Channeling effect
•Cladding suction
•Vortex for external space

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 Winds

Structural design

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 Wind energy

• Source of energy –
Sun
• Heat generate Wind –
Kinetic energy
• Wind turbine, convert
kinetic energy to
electricity

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 Precipitations
• In meteorology, precipitation (also
known as hydrometeor) is any
product of the condensation of
atmospheric water vapor that is
deposited on the earth's surface
• When cloud particles become too
heavy to remain suspended in the air,
they fall to the earth as precipitation.
• Precipitation occurs in a variety of
forms; hail, rain, freezing rain, sleet or
snow

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 Precipitations

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 Precipitations
• Using rain gauge
• Measured by millimeters of precipitation
per unit of time (e.g. mm/day, inches/year)

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 Precipitations
• Rain
– Avoid it for comfort
– Also lead to mold

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 Precipitations
• Surface water
– proper drainage
– Flooding can occur
– Stale water – smell, health hazard

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 Precipitations
• Snow

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 In Short…
• Architects need to know
THE ELEMENTS
• Understand the impacts
on buildings and human
comfort
• LEARN how to
overcome the problem
• LEARN how to utilise
the potential

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 references
• Man, Climate and Architecture, B Givoni. Applied science Publisher,
London. 1976
• Environment & Services, Peter Burberry, Mitchells Building Series 1992
• http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/1a9b703ea98268dffac648a951f2996f,
55a304092d09/15x.html
• http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01429/monsoon.htm

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